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The Commemorative Quarter for Iowa





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 Independence (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 Independence. 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 and doctors 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.

Independence is located in Buchanan County and is the County Seat.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Buchanan County: Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Clayton, Delaware & Fayette.

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

  • Buchanan County     (The home county of Independence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Doris
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Doris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doris
      • Doris is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Doris
      • From Independence to Doris
    • Winthrop
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Rowley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Quasqueton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hazleton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Shady Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Stanley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
      • Stanley is located in Buchanan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Brandon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Aurora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Buchanan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Fairbank
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairbank have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbank
      • Fairbank is located in Buchanan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,132 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairbank <2>
    • Monti
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lamont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
      • Lamont is located in Buchanan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lamont <2>
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Spencers Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Urbana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Urbana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbana
      • Urbana is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Urbana <2>
    • Mount Auburn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Auburn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Auburn
      • Mount Auburn is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Benton City ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton City
      • Benton City is located in Benton County
    • Vinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Shellsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Garrison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garrison have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
      • Garrison is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 355 people
  • Black Hawk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Jesup
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jesup have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jesup
      • Jesup is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,711 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jesup <2>
    • Jubilee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jubilee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jubilee
      • Jubilee is located in Black Hawk County
    • Dunkerton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunkerton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkerton
      • Dunkerton is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Gilbertville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilbertville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbertville
      • Gilbertville is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
    • Raymond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Dewar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • La Porte City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Elk Run Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Run Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Run Heights
      • Elk Run Heights is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,135 people
    • Edwards ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Evansdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evansdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansdale
      • Evansdale is located in Black Hawk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evansdale <2>
    • Waterloo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Eagle Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Cedar City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar City
      • Cedar City is located in Black Hawk County
  • Bremer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Klinger
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Readlyn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Readlyn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readlyn
      • Readlyn is located in Bremer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Readlyn <2>
    • Knittel
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Denver
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denver have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
      • Denver is located in Bremer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denver <2>
    • Sumner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tripoli
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tripoli have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tripoli
      • Tripoli is located in Bremer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,375 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tripoli <2>
  • Clayton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Strawberry Point
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Volga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Volga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
      • Volga is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
  • Delaware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Masonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Robinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Dundee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Delaware County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundee <2>
    • Forestville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Manchester
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Golden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Golden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden
      • Golden is located in Delaware County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Golden
      • From Independence to Golden
    • Ryan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Oneida
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oneida have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
      • Oneida is located in Delaware County
    • Edgewood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Delaware
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delaware have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
      • Delaware is located in Delaware County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
    • Delhi
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delhi have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
      • Delhi is located in Delaware County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 470 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delhi <2>
    • Greeley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greeley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greeley
      • Greeley is located in Delaware County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 240 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greeley <2>
    • Almoral
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Almoral. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almoral
      • Almoral is located in Delaware County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almoral
      • From Independence to Almoral
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Oelwein
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Oran
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oran have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oran
      • Oran is located in Fayette County
    • Maryville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Maynard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
      • Maynard is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maynard <2>
    • Westgate
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Arlington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
    • Fayette
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayette have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
      • Fayette is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fayette <2>
    • Randalia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randalia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalia
      • Randalia is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Wadena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Donnan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Donnan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
      • Donnan is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Donnan
      • From Independence to Donnan
  • Jones County
    • Argand
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Argand. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argand
      • Argand is located in Jones County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Argand
      • From Independence to Argand
  • Linn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
    • Walker
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Troy Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Center Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Point
      • Center Point is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,560 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Center Point <2>
    • Coggon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Paris ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
      • Paris is located in Linn County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Paris
      • From Independence to Paris
    • Lafayette
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Alburnett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Toddville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toddville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddville
      • Toddville is located in Linn County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toddville <2>
    • Central City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Palo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo
      • Palo is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,075 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palo <2>
    • Prairieburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Robins
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Robins have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robins
      • Robins is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,570 people
    • Hiawatha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hiawatha have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiawatha
      • Hiawatha is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,466 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hiawatha <2>
  • Tama County
    • Dysart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dysart have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysart
      • Dysart is located in Tama County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,311 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dysart <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Independence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Independence.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • German Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • State Hospital Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the State Hospital Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the State Hospital Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Otterville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otterville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otterville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rowley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rowley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rowley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hickory Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hickory Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hickory Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (251 more) ...
    • Littleton Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Littleton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Littleton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cedar Crest Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Crest Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Crest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Athanasius Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Athanasius Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Athanasius Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Independence had a population of 3,163 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Independence had a population of 6,203 people.

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

  • Gatesville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gatesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatesville
    • Gatesville is located in Buchanan County
  • Otterville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otterville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
    • Otterville is located in Buchanan County
  • Rowley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Winthrop
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Bryantsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryantsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryantsburg
    • Bryantsburg is located in Buchanan County
  • Quasqueton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Littleton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Littleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleton
    • Littleton is located in Buchanan County
  • Jesup
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jesup have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jesup
    • Jesup is located in Black Hawk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,711 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jesup <2>
  • Shady Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Hazleton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Jubilee
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jubilee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jubilee
    • Jubilee is located in Black Hawk County
  • Brandon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Stanley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
      • Stanley is located in Buchanan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Walker
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Aurora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Buchanan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Independence ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Independence.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Independence. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Independence and those printed in the larger area surrounding Independence.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6> of Independence.

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 either 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 Independence:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Independence. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Buchanan County: www.buchanancounty.com/

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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.
<5>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 Independence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Independence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Independence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4687, Longitude: -91.8894    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025