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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 Morse (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 Morse. 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 and doctors 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.

Morse is located in Johnson 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 Johnson County: Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine & Washington.

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

  • Johnson County     (The home county of Morse)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Oasis
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Solon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon
      • Solon is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,771 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Solon <2>
    • Midway ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Midway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Johnson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Midway
      • From Morse to Midway
    • Iowa City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Coralville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coralville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coralville
      • Coralville is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,484 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coralville <2>
    • University Heights
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Heights
      • University Heights is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people
    • North Liberty
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
      • North Liberty is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,736 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Liberty <2>
    • Oakdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Oakdale is located in Johnson County
    • Tiffin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tiffin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiffin
      • Tiffin is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,629 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tiffin <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tiffin
      • From Morse to Tiffin
    • Shueyville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shueyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shueyville
      • Shueyville is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 655 people
    • Cou Falls
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Hills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills
      • Hills is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 834 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hills <2>
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Atkins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atkins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,978 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atkins <2>
    • Norway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
      • Norway is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norway <2>
    • Watkins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Cedar County
  • Iowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Amana
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Middle Amana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • South Amana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Amana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Amana
      • South Amana is located in Iowa County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Amana <2>
    • West Amana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Conroy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroy
      • Conroy is located in Iowa County
    • Williamsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Iowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsburg <2>
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Martelle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Morley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Olin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olin
      • Olin is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 683 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olin <2>
    • Fairview
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Stone City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Anamosa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anamosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anamosa
      • Anamosa is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,545 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anamosa <2>
    • Hale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oxford Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Amber
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oxford Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Junction
      • Oxford Junction is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 480 people
    • Center Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Junction
      • Center Junction is located in Jones County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 111 people
    • Wyoming
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wyoming have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
      • Wyoming is located in Jones County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 517 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wyoming <2>
  • Linn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Mount Vernon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
      • Mount Vernon is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,528 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Vernon <2>
    • Ely
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ely have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
      • Ely is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ely <2>
    • Lisbon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lisbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,252 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisbon <2>
    • Western
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bertram
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertram have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertram
      • Bertram is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
    • Lincolnway Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincolnway Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnway Village
      • Lincolnway Village is located in Linn County
    • Cedar Rapids
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Squaw Creek Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Squaw Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squaw Creek Village
      • Squaw Creek Village is located in Linn County
    • Cedar Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairfax
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
      • Fairfax is located in Linn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,934 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairfax <2>
    • Grand View Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand View Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Village
      • Grand View Village is located in Linn County
    • Marion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Gladwin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gladwin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladwin
      • Gladwin is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gladwin
      • From Morse to Gladwin
    • Letts
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Muscatine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • West Liberty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
      • West Liberty is located in Muscatine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Liberty <2>
    • Atalissa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Nichols
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nichols have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichols
      • Nichols is located in Muscatine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Moscow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Muscatine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,800 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <2>
    • South Towne Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Towne Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Towne Park
      • South Towne Park is located in Muscatine County
    • Conesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Muscatine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muscatine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscatine
      • Muscatine is located in Muscatine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,523 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Muscatine <2>
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Durant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • New Liberty
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Liberty
      • New Liberty is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse listed first.
    • Riverside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Kalona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalona
      • Kalona is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,560 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalona <2>
    • Wellman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellman
      • Wellman is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wellman <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Morse ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Morse.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Morse, with the one closest to Morse 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Morse had a population of 91 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Elmira
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmira have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
    • Elmira is located in Johnson County
  • Oasis
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Graham ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Graham is located in Johnson County
  • Solon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon
    • Solon is located in Johnson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,771 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Solon <2>
  • Plato
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
    • Plato is located in Cedar County
  • Cedar Bluff
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • West Branch
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Iowa City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Midway ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Midway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Midway is located in Johnson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Midway
    • From Morse to Midway
  • Coralville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coralville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coralville
    • Coralville is located in Johnson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,484 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coralville <2>
  • Centerdale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar Valley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Buchanan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • North Liberty
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
      • North Liberty is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,736 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Liberty <2>
    • Downey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
      • Downey is located in Cedar County

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

Newspapers Published in Morse ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Morse.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Morse, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Morse.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Morse:

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

The official website for Johnson County: www.johnson-county.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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Morse) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Morse. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.7496, Longitude: -91.4350       In this case, the coordinates for Morse have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Morse, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025