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 Motor (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 Motor. 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 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.
Motor is located in Clayton County.
To see how the shape of Iowa's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Clayton County: Allamakee, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Winneshiek, Crawford (WI) & Grant (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Motor. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Motor:
- Clayton County (The home county of Motor)
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Littleport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Littleport is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleport
- Elkader
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mederville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mederville is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mederville
- Osborne
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Osborne is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
- Clayton Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Clayton Center is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Center
- Elkport
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Elkport is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
- Garber
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Garber is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Garnavillo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Olaf
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Volga
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Volga is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
- Farmersburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Wood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wood is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood
- Allamakee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Ion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Ion is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
- Volney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Volney is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
- Postville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Waukon Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Waukon Junction is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon Junction
- Rossville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Rossville is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
- Waterville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Waterville is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
- Harpers Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Lamont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Aurora
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Aurora is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
- Stanley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stanley is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Winthrop
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Winthrop is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop
- Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
- Delaware County
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Edgewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Colesburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Colesburg is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colesburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 371 people
- Greeley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Holy Cross
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Holy Cross is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross
- Forestville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Forestville is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Oneida
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Oneida is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
- Petersburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Petersburg is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Dundee
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Almoral
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Almoral is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almoral
- Earlville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Manchester
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Delaware
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Delaware is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
- Dubuque County
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Luxemburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Luxemburg is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxemburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- New Vienna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- New Vienna is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Vienna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
- Holy Cross
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Holy Cross is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross
- Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
- Waupeton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Waupeton is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waupeton
- Dyersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Summit Village Dyersville Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Balltown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Balltown is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balltown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
- Old Balltown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Old Balltown is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Balltown
- Bankston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bankston is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bankston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
- Rickardsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rickardsville is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rickardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
- Farley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Worthington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Worthington is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 395 people
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Illyria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Illyria is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illyria
- Wadena
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Arlington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Arlington is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
- Elgin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Maryville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Maryville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryville
- Brainard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Brainard is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
- Clermont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fayette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- West Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Maynard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Donnan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Donnan is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
- Randalia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Randalia is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Winneshiek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Castalia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Frankville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Frankville is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Crawford County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Prairie du Chien
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Prairie du Chien is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Chien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,531 people
- Bridgeport
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Charme
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Charme is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charme
- Eastman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Eastman is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Wauzeka
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wauzeka is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauzeka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Grant County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Glen Haven
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Glen Haven is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
- Bagley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bagley is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
- Wyalusing
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wyalusing is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyalusing
- Cassville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cassville is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
- North Andover
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- North Andover is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Andover
- Patch Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Patch Grove is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patch Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Bloomington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Bloomington is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Beetown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Beetown is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beetown
- Millville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Millville is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- Mount Hope
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Hope is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Motor, see our County-by-County Page for Motor.
Cemeteries Near Motor ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Motor.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Motor - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Motor covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Meenan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Communia Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hartmann Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Blanchaine Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Krumm Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Schmidt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Eberhard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mederville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (315 more) ...
- Wolf Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Musfeldt Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hartshey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Motor in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Motor.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Motor, with the one closest to Motor listed first.
- Communia
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Communia is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Communia
- Littleport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Littleport is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleport
- Osborne
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Osborne is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
- Mederville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mederville is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mederville
- Elkader
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Elkport
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Elkport is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
- Garnavillo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Olaf
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ceres
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Ceres is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
- Volga
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Volga is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
- Saint Sebald
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Sebald is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Sebald
- Wood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wood is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Updegraff
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Updegraff is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Updegraff
- Farmersburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Edgewood
(11 miles [17.7 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 Motor. See our List of 1890's Communities around Motor.
Newspapers Published in Motor ...
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 137 newspapers that have been published in the area around Motor.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Motor, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Motor.
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 Motor:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Clayton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allamakee County
- Buchanan County
- Delaware County
- Dubuque County
- Fayette County
- Winneshiek County
- Crawford County
- Grant County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Iowa
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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- Motor) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Motor, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |