RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Iowa >> Story County >> Maxwell >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Iowa

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 Maxwell (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 Maxwell. 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.

Maxwell is located in Story County.

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 Story County: Boone, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Marshall & Polk.

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

  • Story County     (The home county of Maxwell)
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell, with the one closest to Maxwell listed first.
    • Madrid
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Jordan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Luther
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Luther. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
      • Luther is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Luther
      • From Maxwell to Luther
    • Mackey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mackey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
      • Mackey is located in Boone County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mackey
      • From Maxwell to Mackey
    • Boone
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Moingona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Centerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Boone County
  • Dallas County
  • Hamilton County
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell, with the one closest to Maxwell listed first.
    • Garden City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Hardin County
    • Hubbard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hubbard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
      • Hubbard is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 793 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hubbard <2>
    • Radcliffe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • New Providence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
      • New Providence is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Providence
      • From Maxwell to New Providence
    • Union
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
  • Jasper County
  • Marion County
    • Swan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell, with the one closest to Maxwell listed first.
    • Rhodes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhodes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
      • Rhodes is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
    • State Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Center
      • State Center is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,432 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for State Center <2>
    • Malta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
      • Malta is located in Marshall County
    • Melbourne
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • State Center Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Center Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Center Junction
      • State Center Junction is located in Marshall County
    • Clemons
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clemons have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clemons
      • Clemons is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
    • Saint Anthony
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Anthony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
      • Saint Anthony is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
    • LaMoille
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Luray
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Luray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
      • Luray is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Luray
      • From Maxwell to Luray
    • Haverhill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haverhill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haverhill
      • Haverhill is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haverhill <2>
    • Laurel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Laurel is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
    • Marietta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bangor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bangor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bangor
      • From Maxwell to Bangor
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell, with the one closest to Maxwell listed first.
    • Loring
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Elkhart
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Santiago
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Santiago. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
      • Santiago is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Santiago
      • From Maxwell to Santiago
    • Alleman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bondurant
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondurant
      • Bondurant is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bondurant <2>
    • Mitchellville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
      • Mitchellville is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mitchellville <2>
    • Ankeny
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ankeny have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ankeny
      • Ankeny is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 70,068 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ankeny <2>
    • Sheldahl
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Polk City Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Altoona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Altoona is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,503 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altoona <2>
    • Berwick
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berwick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwick
      • Berwick is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berwick
      • From Maxwell to Berwick
    • Carney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carney
      • Carney is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carney
      • From Maxwell to Carney
    • Polk City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maxwell, with the one closest to Maxwell listed first.
    • Hartford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Hartford is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <2>
    • Lakewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Maxwell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Maxwell.

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 Maxwell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Maxwell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maxwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maxwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brubaker Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brubaker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brubaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peoria Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peoria Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peoria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Church of the Brethren Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Center Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Collins Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Collins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Collins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Farrar Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farrar Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farrar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Run Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Run Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Run Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Keller Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (287 more) ...

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 Maxwell had a population of 453 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Maxwell had a population of 908 people.

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

  • Iowa Center
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Collins
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Cambridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
    • Cambridge is located in Story County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 796 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge <2>
  • Clyde
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clyde. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Clyde is located in Jasper County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Clyde
    • From Maxwell to Clyde
  • Elkhart
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Nevada
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Colo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Mingo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Huxley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huxley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxley
    • Huxley is located in Story County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,270 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huxley <2>
  • Valeria
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valeria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valeria
    • Valeria is located in Jasper County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
  • Rhodes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhodes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
    • Rhodes is located in Marshall County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
  • Santiago
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Santiago. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
    • Santiago is located in Polk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Santiago
    • From Maxwell to Santiago
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Green Castle
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ira
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bondurant
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondurant
      • Bondurant is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bondurant <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Maxwell ...

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 238 newspapers that have been published in the area around Maxwell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Maxwell, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Maxwell.

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 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 Maxwell:

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

The official website for Story County: www.storycounty.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Maxwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Maxwell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Maxwell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8908, Longitude: -93.3983    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025