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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 Metz (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 Metz. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Metz is located in Jasper 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 Jasper County: Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Story & Tama.

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

  • Jasper County     (The home county of Metz)
  • Mahaska County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Metz, with the one closest to Metz listed first.
    • Otley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Swan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasantville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Pella
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Knoxville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Harvey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
      • Harvey is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
    • Pershing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Attica
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Melcher - Dallas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melcher - Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melcher - Dallas
      • Melcher - Dallas is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,236 people
    • Tracy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Metz, with the one closest to Metz listed first.
    • Rhodes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhodes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Laurel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Melbourne
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • State Center Junction
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Center Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Center Junction
      • State Center Junction is located in Marshall County
    • Malta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
      • Malta is located in Marshall County
    • Haverhill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haverhill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Luray
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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 Metz to Luray
    • Ferguson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferguson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
      • Ferguson is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Gilman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • State Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • LaMoille
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Dillon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Dunbar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Metz, with the one closest to Metz listed first.
    • Mitchellville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Santiago
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • 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 Metz to Santiago
    • Runnells
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bondurant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondurant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Adelphi
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adelphi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelphi
      • Adelphi is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Adelphi
      • From Metz to Adelphi
    • Altoona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Rising Sun
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rising Sun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
      • Rising Sun is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rising Sun
      • From Metz to Rising Sun
    • Loring
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,025 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pleasant Hill <1>
    • Elkhart
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Carlisle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Berwick
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • 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 Metz to Berwick
    • Country Estate Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Estate Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Estate Village
      • Country Estate Village is located in Polk County
  • Poweshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Metz, with the one closest to Metz listed first.
    • Grinnell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Searsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Malcom
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malcom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcom
      • Malcom is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malcom <1>
    • Sheridan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Story County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Metz, with the one closest to Metz listed first.
    • Collins
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Maxwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Iowa Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Colo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cambridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Huxley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huxley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Shipley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Nevada
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fernald
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Midvale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Tama County
    • Montour
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montour have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montour
      • Montour is located in Tama County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montour <1>
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Metz, with the one closest to Metz listed first.
    • Hartford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Palmyra
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sandyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Ackworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ackworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackworth
      • Ackworth is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Indianola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Milo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Metz ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Metz.

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

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

  • Sugar Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sugar Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sugar Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kelley Family Burial Ground
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kelley Family Burial Ground
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kelley Family Burial Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rorabaugh Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rorabaugh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rorabaugh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mound Prairie Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mound Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mound Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moffitt Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moffitt Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moffitt Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Slaughter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Slaughter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Slaughter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Livingston Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Livingston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Livingston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Palo Alto Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palo Alto Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palo Alto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Newton Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Colfax Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (310 more) ...
    • Waveland Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Memorial Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memorial Park
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Linder Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Linder Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Linder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Metz had a population of 63 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Coal Siding ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coal Siding have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Siding
    • Coal Siding is located in Jasper County
  • Newton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Colfax
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Prairie City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Reasnor
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ira
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Murphy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murphy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy
    • Murphy is located in Jasper County
  • Green Castle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Oswalt
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Monroe
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Baxter
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Mingo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Valeria
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valeria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Mitchellville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Vandalia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Metz ...

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 252 newspapers that have been published in the area around Metz.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Metz, 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 Metz.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Metz:

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

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

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 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.
<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 Metz, 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' (or 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- Metz) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Metz. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.6663, Longitude: -93.1375    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025