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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 Le Mars (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 Le Mars. 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.

Le Mars is located in Plymouth County and is the County Seat.

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 Plymouth County: Cherokee, Sioux, Woodbury & Union (SD).

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

  • Plymouth County     (The home county of Le Mars)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Le Mars, with the one closest to Le Mars listed first.
    • Brunsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Brunsville is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Oyens
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oyens is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Merrill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Struble
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Struble is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • O'Leary
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Remsen
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Craig
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Craig is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craig
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Hinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Adaville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Kingsley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • James
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Millnerville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Le Mars, with the one closest to Le Mars listed first.
    • Marcus
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Fielding
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cleghorn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Cleghorn is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleghorn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
    • Mary Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Washta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Meriden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Quimby
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • O'Brien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Le Mars, with the one closest to Le Mars listed first.
    • Germantown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Paullina
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Paullina is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paullina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
  • Sioux County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Le Mars, with the one closest to Le Mars listed first.
    • Maurice
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Maurice is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Ireton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • McNally
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Orange City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Alton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Chatsworth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Sioux Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Westbrook Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
    • Granville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Granville is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Hawarden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Middleburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Lebanon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Woodbury County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Le Mars, with the one closest to Le Mars listed first.
    • Evergreen Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Moville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Holiday Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Holiday Village is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Village
    • Lawton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Lawton is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 979 people
    • Pierson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Pierson is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
    • Regency of Sioux City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Regency of Sioux City is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency of Sioux City
    • Sioux City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Bronson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Glen Ellen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Sergeant Bluff
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Correctionville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Climbing Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Dakota County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Le Mars, with the one closest to Le Mars listed first.
    • South Sioux City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dakota City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jackson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lincoln County (SD)
    • Hudson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hudson is located in Lincoln County (SD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 356 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
  • Union County (SD)

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

Cemeteries Near Le Mars ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Le Mars.

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 Le Mars - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Le Mars had a population of 4,036 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Le Mars had a population of 10,195 people.

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

  • Seney
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Seney is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seney
  • Merrill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Oyens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oyens is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyens
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
  • Struble
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Struble is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
  • O'Leary
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Neptune
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Neptune is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
  • Union Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Union Center is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
  • Crathorne
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Crathorne is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crathorne
  • Remsen
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Carnes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Carnes is located in Sioux County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnes
  • Adaville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Hinton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Maurice
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Maurice is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Potosia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Potosia is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potosia
    • Ireton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Le Mars ...

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 127 newspapers that have been published in the area around Le Mars.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Le Mars:

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 Le Mars, 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- Le Mars) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.