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 Lester (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 Lester. 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 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.
Lester is located in Lyon 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 Lyon County: Osceola, Sioux, Nobles (MN), Rock (MN), Lincoln (SD) & Minnehaha (SD).
Below are the counties that are near Lester. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lester:
- Lyon County (The home county of Lester)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Larchwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Alvord
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rock Rapids
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Inwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Klondike
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Klondike is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Edna
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Doon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Beloit
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Beloit is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- George
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Little Rock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- O'Brien County
- Sheldon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Osceola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Ashton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sibley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sioux County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Rock Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Perkins
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Perkins is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
- Hull
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lebanon
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lebanon is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
- Boyden
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Boyden is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Matlock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Westbrook Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
- Sioux Center
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Middleburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Middleburg is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Nobles County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Ellsworth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Adrian
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ransom
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ransom is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
- Lismore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lismore is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lismore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 218 people
- Rushmore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rushmore is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Pipestone County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Jasper Sunrise Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jasper Sunrise Village is located in Pipestone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper Sunrise Village
- Jasper
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jasper is located in Pipestone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jasper
- Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
- Rock County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Steen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Steen is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
- Bruce
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Ash Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Manley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Manley is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manley
- Beaver Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Beaver Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
- Luverne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Kanaranzi
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Magnolia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Magnolia is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Hardwick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kenneth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kenneth is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Lincoln County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Canton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shindler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Shindler is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shindler
- Population from the 2010 Census: 584 people
- Harrisburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hudson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Worthing
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Moe
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Moe is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moe
- Tea
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Tea is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tea
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,405 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tea <1>
- Lennox
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Minnehaha County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Valley Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rowena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Brandon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Lakes Addition
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Lakes Addition is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lakes Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 314 people
- Split Rock Heights
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Split Rock Heights is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Split Rock Heights
- Estimated population in 2014: 216 people
- Garretson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Norton Acres
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Norton Acres is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norton Acres
- Population from the 2010 Census: 342 people
- Sioux Falls
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Meadow View Addition
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Meadow View Addition is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow View Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 538 people
- Sherman
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Sherman is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Renner Corner
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Renner Corner is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renner Corner
- Population from the 2010 Census: 305 people
- Renner
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lester, see our County-by-County Page for Lester.
Cemeteries Near Lester ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lester.
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 Lester - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lester covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Hillside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Apostolic Christian Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Nerison Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Larchwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Dutch Reform Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- United Reformed Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Trinity Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Flowerfield Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Holy Name Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Eastside Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (120 more) ...
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Riverside Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Our Saviors Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
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, Lester had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lester had a population of 303 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
- Larchwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Alvord
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bruce
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Steen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Steen is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
- Rock Rapids
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Benclare
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Benclare is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benclare
- Ash Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Inwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Manley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Manley is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manley
- Valley Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Granite
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Granite is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granite
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Doon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Edna
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Rowena
(12 miles [19.3 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 Lester. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lester.
Newspapers Published in Lester ...
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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lester.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lester, 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 Lester.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Lester:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Lyon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- O'Brien County
- Osceola County
- Sioux County
- Nobles County
- Pipestone County
- Rock County
- Lincoln County
- Minnehaha 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 Lester, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Lester) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |