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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 Mercer (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 Mercer. 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 and 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.

Mercer is located in Adams 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 Adams County: Adair, Cass, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, Taylor & Union.

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

  • Adams County     (The home county of Mercer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Prescott
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prescott <2>
    • Stringtown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stringtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
      • Stringtown is located in Adams County
    • Corning
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Queen City ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Adams County
    • Brooks
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Iveyville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Iveyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iveyville
      • Iveyville is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Iveyville
      • From Mercer to Iveyville
    • Quincy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quincy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Adams County
    • Carbon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Carl
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
      • Carl is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carl
      • From Mercer to Carl
    • Mount Etna
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Etna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
      • Mount Etna is located in Adams County
    • Nodaway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nodaway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nodaway
      • Nodaway is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Williamson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Williamson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
      • Williamson is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Williamson
      • From Mercer to Williamson
    • Lincoln Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Center
      • Lincoln Center is located in Adams County
  • Adair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Gilead
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
      • Gilead is located in Adair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gilead
      • From Mercer to Gilead
    • Bridgewater
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Orient
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fontanelle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Zion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Hebron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hebron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Hebron is located in Adair County
  • Cass County
  • Madison County
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Villisca
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villisca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villisca
      • Villisca is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,143 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Villisca <2>
    • Sciola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sciola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sciola
      • Sciola is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sciola
      • From Mercer to Sciola
    • Tenville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Grant
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
      • Grant is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Stanton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Elliott
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elliott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
      • Elliott is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elliott <2>
    • Red Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Page County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Hepburn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hepburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepburn
      • Hepburn is located in Page County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17 people
    • Clarinda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Shambaugh
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Nyman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Yorktown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yorktown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
      • Yorktown is located in Page County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
  • Ringgold County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Diagonal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Knowlton ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Benton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Benton is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Maloy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Tingley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Delphos
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delphos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delphos
      • Delphos is located in Ringgold County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 24 people
    • Mount Ayr
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Redding
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redding have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redding
      • Redding is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Ellston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellston
      • Ellston is located in Ringgold County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
  • Taylor County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Lenox
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
      • Lenox is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,386 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenox <2>
    • Sharpsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Clearfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearfield
      • Clearfield is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearfield <2>
    • Guss
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Guss. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guss
      • Guss is located in Taylor County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Guss
      • From Mercer to Guss
    • Conway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Gravity
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Ladoga
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ladoga. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladoga
      • Ladoga is located in Taylor County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ladoga
      • From Mercer to Ladoga
    • Bedford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,380 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
    • New Market
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Blockton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blockton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockton
      • Blockton is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Siam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Athelstan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athelstan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athelstan
      • Athelstan is located in Taylor County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Kent
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Cromwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Creston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • East Creston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Shannon City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shannon City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon City
      • Shannon City is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Arispe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Afton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Afton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
      • Afton is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 825 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Afton <2>
  • Nodaway County (MO)
    • Hopkins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopkins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins
      • Hopkins is located in Nodaway County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 470 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hopkins <2>
  • Worth County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer listed first.
    • Sheridan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Irena
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irena
      • Irena is located in Worth County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16 people

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

Cemeteries Near Mercer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mercer.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mercer, with the one closest to Mercer 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.<5>

While we didn't find Mercer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Mercer.

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

  • Prescott
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
    • Prescott is located in Adams County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prescott <2>
  • Corning
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Holt
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
    • Holt is located in Taylor County
  • Lenox
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
    • Lenox is located in Taylor County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,386 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenox <2>
  • Iveyville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Iveyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iveyville
    • Iveyville is located in Adams County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Iveyville
    • From Mercer to Iveyville
  • Brooks
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Sharpsburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Kent
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Quincy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quincy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Quincy is located in Adams County
  • Cromwell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Carbon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Guss
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Guss. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guss
    • Guss is located in Taylor County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Guss
    • From Mercer to Guss
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Clearfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearfield
      • Clearfield is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearfield <2>
    • Carl
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
      • Carl is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carl
      • From Mercer to Carl
    • Gravity
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Mercer ...

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 144 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mercer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mercer, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mercer.

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 Mercer:

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

The official website for Adams County: www.co.adams.ia.us/

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 Mercer, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mercer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mercer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.9430, Longitude: -94.6427    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025