RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Iowa >> Clay County >> Greenville >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Greenville (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 Greenville. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 west contained birth and death records; the county to the north 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.

Greenville is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Dickinson, Emmet, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto & Pocahontas.

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

  • Clay County     (The home county of Greenville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Rossie
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Rossie is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Cornell
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Cornell is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornell
    • Gillett Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Gillett Grove is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
    • Royal
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Spencer
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Webb
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Webb is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Dickens
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dickens is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Peterson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Everly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Everly is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
    • Langdon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Langdon is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdon
    • Fostoria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Fostoria is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fostoria
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 219 people
  • Buena Vista County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Sioux Rapids
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Linn Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Rembrandt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Marathon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Marathon is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marathon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
    • Elkton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Elkton is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
    • Truesdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Albert City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Alta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Alta is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,916 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alta <1>
    • Storm Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Casino Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Casino Beach is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casino Beach
    • Lakeside
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Lakeside is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 690 people
    • Newell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Newell is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 859 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newell <1>
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Larrabee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Larrabee is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larrabee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
    • Aurelia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherokee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Meriden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Meriden is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
  • Dickinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Old Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Old Town is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Terril
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Terril is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terril
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
    • West Okoboji
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • West Okoboji is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Okoboji
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Arnolds Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Wahpeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Wahpeton is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahpeton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Okoboji
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Spirit Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Orleans
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Orleans is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
    • Superior
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Emmet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Wallingford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wallingford is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Estherville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • O'Brien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Moneta
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Moneta is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moneta
    • Sutherland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Hartley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartley is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
    • Calumet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Calumet is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
    • Primghar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Paullina
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Paullina is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paullina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
    • Sanborn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Archer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • May City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • May City is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May City
    • Melvin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Melvin is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
  • Palo Alto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Ruthven
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ayrshire
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Curlew
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Curlew is located in Palo Alto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curlew
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Mallard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Emmetsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Graettinger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cylinder
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Cylinder is located in Palo Alto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cylinder
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
  • Pocahontas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Greenville, with the one closest to Greenville listed first.
    • Laurens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Havelock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Varina
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Varina is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Plover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Plover is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people

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

Cemeteries Near Greenville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Greenville.

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 Greenville - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Liberty Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Rosehill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Fanny Fern Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Prairie Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Lincoln Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Burr Oak Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Osborn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Willow Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Douglas Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (112 more) ...
    • Logan Twp. Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lone Tree Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Greenville had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Greenville had a population of 67 people.

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

  • Sioux Rapids
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Spencer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Linn Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Dickens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Dickens is located in Clay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickens
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
  • Peterson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marathon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Marathon is located in Buena Vista County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marathon
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
  • Everly
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Everly is located in Clay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everly
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
  • Ayrshire
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Sutherland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Elkton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Elkton is located in Buena Vista County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
  • Laurens
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Curlew
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Curlew is located in Palo Alto County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curlew
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Hartley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartley is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
    • Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Calumet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Calumet is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Greenville ...

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 144 newspapers that have been published in the area around Greenville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Greenville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Greenville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Greenville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Greenville.

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 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 Greenville:

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 Greenville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Greenville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.