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 Homestead Colony (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 Homestead Colony. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Homestead Colony is located in Story 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 Story County: Boone, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Marshall & Polk.
Below are the counties that are near Homestead Colony. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Homestead Colony:
- Story County (The home county of Homestead Colony)
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Gilbert
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ames
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Ontario
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ontario is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
- Zenorsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Zenorsville is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenorsville
- Story City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Roland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Roland is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,252 people
- Shipley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Shipley is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipley
- Kelley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Nevada
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Midvale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Midvale is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Fernald
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Fernald is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernald
- Huxley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cambridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Jordan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jordan is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Mackey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mackey is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
- Luther
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Luther is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Boone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Centerville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Centerville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Madrid
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Moingona
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Moingona is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moingona
- Fraser
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fraser is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraser
- Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
- Ogden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Pilot Mound
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Pilot Mound is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Mound
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Boxholm
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Beaver
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Beaver is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Berkley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Berkley is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- High Bridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- High Bridge is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Bridge
- Xenia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Xenia is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenia
- Woodward
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Granger
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bouton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Perry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Minburn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Minburn is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
- Hamilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Randall
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Randall is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Jewell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Jewell is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,138 people
- Jewell has also been known as:
- Jewell Junction
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jewell <1>
- Ellsworth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Stanhope
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stanhope is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
- Stratford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kamrar
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Blairsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Blairsburg is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Webster City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Williams
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hardin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Garden City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Garden City is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Radcliffe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hubbard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sherman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sherman is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Buckeye
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buckeye is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- New Providence
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- New Providence is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Clyde
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Clyde is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- Mingo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Valeria
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Valeria is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valeria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
- Green Castle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Green Castle is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Castle
- Ira
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ira is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Baxter
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Saint Anthony
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Saint Anthony is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
- Clemons
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Clemons is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clemons
- Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
- State Center
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rhodes
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rhodes is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
- Malta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Malta is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
- Bangor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bangor is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Melbourne
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- LaMoille
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- LaMoille is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaMoille
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Sheldahl
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sheldahl is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldahl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
- Alleman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Alleman is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
- Polk City Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Polk City Junction is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk City Junction
- Loring
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Loring is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loring
- Elkhart
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Polk City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Andrews
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Andrews is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrews
- Ankeny
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Herrold
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Herrold is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrold
- Carney
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Carney is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carney
- Bondurant
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Johnston
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Saylorville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Saylorville is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saylorville
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Dayton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lehigh
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Border Plains
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Border Plains is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Border Plains
- Burnside
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Burnside is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Harcourt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harcourt is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harcourt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
- Lanyon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lanyon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanyon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Homestead Colony, see our County-by-County Page for Homestead Colony.
Cemeteries Near Homestead Colony ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Homestead Colony.
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 Homestead Colony - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Homestead Colony covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Arrasmith Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Gilbert Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- McMichael Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- College Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ames Municipal Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bloomington Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Born Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Baldus Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Ontario Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brouhard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- South St. Petri Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (254 more) ...
- Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sunday Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sheffield Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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 Homestead Colony in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Homestead Colony.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Homestead Colony, with the one closest to Homestead Colony listed first.
- Gilbert
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ames
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Ontario
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ontario is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
- Story City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Roland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Roland is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,252 people
- Kelley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Nevada
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mackey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mackey is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
- Rosendale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rosendale is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosendale
- Randall
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Randall is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Luther
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Luther is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Huxley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Cambridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- McCallsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- McCallsburg is located in Story County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCallsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
- Boone
(13 miles [20.9 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 Homestead Colony. See our List of 1890's Communities around Homestead Colony.
Newspapers Published in Homestead Colony ...
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 166 newspapers that have been published in the area around Homestead Colony.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Homestead Colony, 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 Homestead Colony.
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 Homestead Colony:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Story County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Dallas County
- Hamilton County
- Hardin County
- Jasper County
- Marshall County
- Polk County
- Webster County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Iowa
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 Homestead Colony, 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' (or 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- Homestead Colony) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |