Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Newtown. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Newtown to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Newtown, please Contact Us.
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 Newtown (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 Newtown. 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Newtown is historic, it would have been located within present day Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County: Cass, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Shelby, Douglas (NE), Sarpy (NE) & Washington (NE).
Below are the counties that are near Newtown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Newtown:
- Pottawattamie County (The home county of Newtown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Avoca
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Avoca is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,537 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <2>
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Hancock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Walnut
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
- Oakland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Minden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Neola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Carson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Macedonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Underwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- McClelland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Treynor
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Weston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Weston is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Audubon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Kimballton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Brayton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Fiscus
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Fiscus is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
- Exira
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hamlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hamlin is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
- Audubon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ross
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ross is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Marne
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Lewis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Atlantic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Sycamore Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Sycamore Village is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Village
- Griswold
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Grove City ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Grove City is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
- Wiota
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Lyman
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Lyman is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
- Norway Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Norway Center is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Center
- Cumberland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cumberland is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Anita
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Astor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Astor is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Manilla
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Yorkshire
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Yorkshire is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
- Persia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Persia is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Logan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodbine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Missouri Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Dunlap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mills County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Henderson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Mineola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Silver City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Silver City is located in Mills County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Emerson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hastings
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hastings is located in Mills County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastings
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Elliott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Grant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Grant is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Red Oak
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Shelby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Corley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Tennant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tennant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- Harlan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Portsmouth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elk Horn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Westphalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Westphalia is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Kirkman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Panama
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Earling
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Earling is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
- Irwin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Defiance
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Defiance is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Botna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Botna is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Newtown, see our County-by-County Page for Newtown.
Cemeteries Near Newtown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Newtown.
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 Newtown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Newtown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Newton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Graceland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Olson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jacobson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Walnut Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Lincoln Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Shelby Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Silver Valley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Altamont Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (192 more) ...
- Oaklawn Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Monroe Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview Twp. Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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.
While we didn't find Newtown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Newtown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Newtown, with the one closest to Newtown listed first.
- Avoca
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Avoca is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,537 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <2>
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Hancock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Walnut
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
- Shelby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Corley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Oakland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Minden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Marne
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- York Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- York Center is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
- Harlan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Yorkshire
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Yorkshire is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Persia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Persia is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Neola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Taylor
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Taylor is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Newtown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Newtown.
Newspapers Published in Newtown ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Newtown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Newtown, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Newtown.
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 Newtown:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Pottawattamie County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Audubon County
- Cass County
- Crawford County
- Harrison County
- Mills County
- Montgomery County
- Shelby County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Iowa
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Newtown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Newtown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |