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 Irwin (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 Irwin. 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 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.
Irwin is located in Shelby 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 Shelby County: Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Harrison & Pottawattamie.
Below are the counties that are near Irwin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Irwin:
- Shelby County (The home county of Irwin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Botna
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Botna is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
- Kirkman
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Defiance
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Defiance is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Westphalia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Westphalia is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Earling
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Earling is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
- Harlan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Panama
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Elk Horn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Corley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Portsmouth
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Tennant
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Tennant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- Shelby
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Audubon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Fiscus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fiscus is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
- Gray
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Kimballton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ross
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ross is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
- Audubon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Hamlin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hamlin is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
- Exira
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Brayton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Manning
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Templeton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Halbur
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Halbur is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halbur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Roselle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Roselle is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roselle
- Dedham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Arcadia is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
- Willey
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Willey is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- Carroll
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Carroll Community Estates
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coon Rapids
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Breda
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Breda is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breda
- Population from the 2020 Census: 471 people
- Glidden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Marne
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Sycamore Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore Village is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Village
- Atlantic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Grove City ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Grove City is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Manilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Astor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Astor is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Aspinwall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Aspinwall is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinwall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Buck Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Sunset Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Arion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Arion is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arion
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Denison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dow City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Vail
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bell
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bell is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
- Westside
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Deloit
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Deloit is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Guthrie County
- North Branch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- North Branch is located in Guthrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Dunlap
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Persia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Persia is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Yorkshire
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Yorkshire is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
- Woodbine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Pottawattamie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Walnut
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Avoca
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Avoca is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,537 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <1>
- Hancock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Minden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sac County
- Herring ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Herring is located in Sac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Irwin, see our County-by-County Page for Irwin.
Cemeteries Near Irwin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Irwin.
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 Irwin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Irwin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Slates Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Danway Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Poplar Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Red Line Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Astor Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Merrills Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Union Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nishnabotna Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Continue List (152 more) ...
- Rabbit Hallow Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bowmans Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Emmanuel Evangelican Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Irwin had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Irwin had a population of 308 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Kirkman
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Botna
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Botna is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
- Manilla
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Fiscus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fiscus is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
- Astor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Astor is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Defiance
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Defiance is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Aspinwall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Aspinwall is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinwall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Westphalia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Westphalia is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Harlan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gray
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Manning
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kimballton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Buck Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Panama
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Ross
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ross is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Irwin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Irwin.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Irwin ...
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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Irwin.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Irwin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Irwin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Irwin.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Irwin.
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 Irwin:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Shelby County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Audubon County
- Carroll County
- Cass County
- Crawford County
- Guthrie County
- Harrison County
- Pottawattamie County
- Sac 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> | 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 Irwin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Irwin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |