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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 Newport (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 Newport. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

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

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

  • Johnson County     (The home county of Newport)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Morse
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Morse is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse
    • Elmira
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Elmira is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
    • Solon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Solon is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,771 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Solon <1>
    • Oasis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Oasis is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oasis
    • Coralville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Iowa City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Midway ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Midway is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • University Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • University Heights is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,025 people
    • North Liberty
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Oakdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Oakdale is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
    • Tiffin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Cou Falls
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cou Falls is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cou Falls
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Norway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Atkins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Watkins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Watkins is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
    • Newhall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cedar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • West Branch
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Bluff
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Bluff is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
    • Centerdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Centerdale is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerdale
    • Downey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Downey is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
    • Buchanan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Buchanan is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buchanan
    • Cedar Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Valley is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
    • Springdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Springdale is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
    • Rochester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Rochester is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
    • Mechanicsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Mechanicsville is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,116 people
    • Tipton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Stanwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Lime City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Lime City is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime City
      • Former names for Lime City:
      • Lime Kilns
      • Munn
  • Iowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Amana
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Middle Amana
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • South Amana
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • West Amana
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • West Amana is located in Iowa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Amana
    • Conroy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Conroy is located in Iowa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conroy
    • Williamsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Parnell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Marengo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Martelle
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Martelle is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martelle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
    • Morley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Morley is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Fairview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Fairview is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Olin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Stone City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Stone City is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone City
    • Anamosa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hale is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hale
    • Amber
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Amber is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amber
    • Oxford Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Oxford Mills is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Mills
  • Linn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Ely
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Ely is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ely <1>
    • Mount Vernon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Western
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Western is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
    • Lisbon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Bertram
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Bertram is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertram
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
    • Lincolnway Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lincolnway Village is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnway Village
    • Cedar Rapids
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairfax
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Grand View Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Grand View Village is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Village
    • Walford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Walford is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,436 people
    • Marion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Hills is located in Linn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hills
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Gladwin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Gladwin is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladwin
    • Cotter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cotter is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
    • Letts
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Muscatine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • West Liberty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Atalissa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Nichols
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Nichols is located in Muscatine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichols
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Moscow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Moscow is located in Muscatine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Conesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Conesville is located in Muscatine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conesville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
    • Wilton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Wilton is located in Muscatine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,800 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <1>
    • South Towne Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • South Towne Park is located in Muscatine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Towne Park
    • Muscatine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Durant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • New Liberty
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • New Liberty is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Liberty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport listed first.
    • Riverside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Kalona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Kalona is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalona
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,560 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalona <1>
    • Wellman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Nira
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Nira is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nira

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

Cemeteries Near Newport ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Newport.

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 Newport - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Newport covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Newport, with the one closest to Newport 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.<4>

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

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

  • Elmira
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Elmira is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
  • Morse
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Morse is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morse
  • Solon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Solon is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,771 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Solon <1>
  • Graham ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Graham is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
  • Oasis
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Oasis is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oasis
  • Coralville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Iowa City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Midway ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Midway is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
  • North Liberty
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • West Branch
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Plato
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Plato is located in Cedar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
  • Cedar Bluff
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Bluff is located in Cedar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Tiffin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Downey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Downey is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
    • Centerdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Centerdale is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerdale

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

Newspapers Published in Newport ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Newport.

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

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 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 Newport:

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Newport) 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 Newport, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.