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 Mount Zion (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 Mount Zion. 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.
Name Variations for Mount Zion ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Mount Zion: Mt. Zion
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Mount Zion. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Mount Zion.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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.
Mount Zion is located in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County: Davis, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Clark (MO) & Scotland (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Mount Zion. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mount Zion:
- Van Buren County (The home county of Mount Zion)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Kilbourn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kilbourn is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourn
- Winchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Winchester is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Keosauqua
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Birmingham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
- Stockport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Douds
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Douds is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douds
- Leando
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Leando is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leando
- Bonaparte
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Sterling
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Selma
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Selma is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Cantril
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Farmington
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Milton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Davis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Chequest
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Chequest is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chequest
- Pulaski
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Pulaski is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulaski
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Floris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Floris is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Stiles
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stiles is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiles
- Steuben
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Steuben is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steuben
- Bloomfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Carbon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Carbon is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Drakesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Savannah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Savannah is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savannah
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Hillsboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Salem
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Rome
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Rome is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Oakland Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Oakland Mills is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Mills
- Westwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Westwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Mount Pleasant
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lowell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Lowell is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Wayland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- New London
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Swedesburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Swedesburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedesburg
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Glasgow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Glasgow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Libertyville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Libertyville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Fairfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Lockridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Maharishi Vedic City
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Maharishi Vedic City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maharishi Vedic City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
- Batavia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Perlee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Perlee is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perlee
- Abingdon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Abingdon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Packwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Packwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Pleasant Plain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Plain is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Linby
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Linby is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linby
- Pekin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pekin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
- Keokuk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Richland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Ollie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Ollie is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ollie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Big Mound
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Big Mound is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Mound
- Russellville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Russellville is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Russellville has also been known as:
- Doantown
- White Lane ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- White Lane is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lane
- Houghton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Houghton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Mount Hamill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mount Hamill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hamill
- Former names for Mount Hamill:
- Courtwright
- Hamill
- Primrose
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Primrose is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose
- Croton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Croton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
- Pilot Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pilot Grove is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Saint Paul
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Saint Paul is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Donnellson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Franklin is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- West Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Charleston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Charleston is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Wapello County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Eldon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cliffland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Cliffland is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffland
- Agency
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Competine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Competine is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Competine
- East Ottumwa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Ottumwa is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ottumwa
- Dahlonega
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dahlonega is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlonega
- Ottumwa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Brighton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Coppock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Coppock is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Rubio
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rubio is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rubio
- Clark County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Acasto
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Acasto is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acasto
- Anson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Anson is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Athens
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Athens is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Chambersburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Chambersburg is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersburg
- Luray
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Luray is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Peaksville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Peaksville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Dumas
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dumas is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Revere
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Medill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Medill is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medill
- Wyaconda
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Wyaconda is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyaconda
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Kahoka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clark City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clark City is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark City
- Saint Francisville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Francisville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Francisville
- Schuyler County (MO)
- Downing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Downing is located in Schuyler County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downing
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Scotland County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Arbela
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Granger
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Granger is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Memphis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Kilwinning
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kilwinning is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilwinning
- Gorin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Gorin is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorin
- South Gorin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- South Gorin is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gorin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mount Zion, see our County-by-County Page for Mount Zion.
Cemeteries Near Mount Zion ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mount Zion.
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 Mount Zion - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mount Zion covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Forbes Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- County Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Wilson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Rider Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Anson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Railroad Grave
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rogers Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Miller Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kilbourne Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gilbert Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Leech Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Oak Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (485 more) ...
- Lippincott Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pittsburg Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Purdom Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdom Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Purdom Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Keosauqua.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #95904 <2>
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Mount Zion had a population of 16 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Kilbourn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kilbourn is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourn
- Pittsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pittsburg is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- Keosauqua
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Winchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Winchester is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Pierceville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Pierceville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
- Utica
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Utica is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
- Vernon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vernon is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Bentonsport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Birmingham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
- Stockport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lebanon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lebanon is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
- Collett
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Collett is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collett
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Leando
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Leando is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leando
- Bonaparte
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Sterling
(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 Mount Zion. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mount Zion.
Newspapers Published in Mount Zion ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mount Zion.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mount Zion, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mount Zion.
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 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 Mount Zion:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Van Buren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Davis County
- Henry County
- Jefferson County
- Keokuk County
- Lee County
- Wapello County
- Washington County
- Clark County
- Schuyler County
- Scotland 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Mount Zion, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Mount Zion) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |