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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Gardner (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Gardner. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Gardner is located in Audubon County.

To see how the shape of Iowa's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Audubon County: Adair, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Guthrie & Shelby.

Below are the counties that are near Gardner. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gardner:

  • Audubon County     (The home county of Gardner)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Hamlin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Hamlin is located in Audubon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
    • Exira
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Audubon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Ross
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Ross is located in Audubon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
    • Brayton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Gray
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kimballton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Fiscus
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Fiscus is located in Audubon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
  • Adair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Fontanelle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Fontanelle is located in Adair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontanelle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 612 people
    • Bridgewater
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Greenfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Coon Rapids
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Dedham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Templeton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Willey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Willey is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Manning
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Roselle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Roselle is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roselle
    • Halbur
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Halbur is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halbur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
    • Glidden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Ralston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Ralston is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
    • Carroll Community Estates
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Carroll
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Anita
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Wiota
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Grove City ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Grove City is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Sycamore Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sycamore Village is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Village
    • Norway Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Norway Center is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Center
    • Atlantic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Marne
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Cumberland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Cumberland is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
    • Massena
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Lewis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Aspinwall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Aspinwall is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinwall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Manilla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Astor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Astor is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Linden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Linden is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
    • Dexter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Redfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Wiscotta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Wiscotta is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiscotta
    • Dawson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dawson is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Scranton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cooper
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Cooper is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
    • Jefferson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Guthrie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • North Branch
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • North Branch is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
    • Guthrie Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Adair
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bayard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Casey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Glendon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Glendon is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendon
    • Panora
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Bagley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bagley is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 285 people
    • Menlo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Dale is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
    • Yale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Yale is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 239 people
    • Herndon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Herndon is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
    • Stuart
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pottawattamie County
    • Walnut
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.
    • Elk Horn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Botna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Botna is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
    • Irwin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Kirkman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Kirkman is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
    • Corley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Corley is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
    • Harlan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gardner, see our County-by-County Page for Gardner.

Cemeteries Near Gardner ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gardner.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Gardner - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gardner covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.

  • Bear Grove Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Melville Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Union Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Danish Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Exira Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bear Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Luccocks Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Wichita Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (153 more) ...

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Gardner in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gardner.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Gardner, with the one closest to Gardner listed first.

  • North Branch
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • North Branch is located in Guthrie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
  • Hamlin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Hamlin is located in Audubon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
  • Exira
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Viola Center
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Viola Center is located in Audubon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola Center
  • Wichita
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wichita is located in Guthrie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wichita
  • Audubon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Ross
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ross is located in Audubon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
  • Brayton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Adair
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Guthrie Center
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Coon Rapids
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Anita
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Kimballton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Dedham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Elk Horn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gardner. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gardner.

Newspapers Published in Gardner ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gardner.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gardner, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gardner.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Gardner:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Gardner, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gardner) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.