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 Ottawa (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 Ottawa. 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 doctors 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.
Ottawa is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Ottawa. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ottawa:
- Polk County (The home county of Ottawa)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Carlisle
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Adelphi
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Adelphi is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelphi
- Runnells
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Norwalk
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Levey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Levey is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levey
- Pleasant Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Rising Sun
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Rising Sun is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
- Des Moines
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Commerce
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Commerce is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commerce
- Country Estate Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- West Des Moines
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Altoona
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Liberty
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Woodburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Osceola
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Murray
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Murray is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
- Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
- Green Bay ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Green Bay is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Bay
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Booneville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Van Meter
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waukee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- DeSoto
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Decatur County
- Le Roy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Le Roy is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Le Roy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14 people
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Vandalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Vandalia is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Prairie City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Monroe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oswalt
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Oswalt is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswalt
- Colfax
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Valeria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Valeria is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valeria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
- Metz
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Metz is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metz
- Reasnor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Reasnor is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reasnor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Lucas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Lucas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lucas is located in Lucas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Williamson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chariton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Olmitz
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Olmitz is located in Lucas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olmitz
- Derby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Derby is located in Lucas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 111 people
- Russell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Zero
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Zero is located in Lucas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zero
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Saint Charles
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Patterson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Patterson is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
- Truro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- East Peru
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- East Peru is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Peru
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Winterset
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Barney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Barney is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barney
- Ord
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ord is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ord
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Bauer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bauer is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
- Pleasantville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Swan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Swan is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
- Melcher - Dallas
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Melcher - Dallas is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melcher - Dallas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,236 people
- Newbern
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Newbern is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Percy ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Percy is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Percy
- Knoxville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Columbia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Columbia is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
- Cordova
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cordova is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cordova
- Attica
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Attica is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
- Indiana
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Indiana is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indiana
- Pershing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Pershing is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pershing
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Clarkson ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clarkson is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
- Milo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ackworth
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Ackworth is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Indianola
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sandyville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sandyville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Liberty Center
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Liberty Center is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Center
- Cool
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cool is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool
- Palmyra
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Palmyra is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Spring Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Hill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Lacona
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hartford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Martensdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ottawa, see our County-by-County Page for Ottawa.
Cemeteries Near Ottawa ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ottawa.
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 Ottawa - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ottawa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Hammondsburg Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Milo IOOF Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- IOOF Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lacey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ackworth Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Indianola City Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shaver Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaver Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shaver Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<2> to the south of Indianola.
- The Shaver Cemetery has also been known as:
- Schaver Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #196269 <3>
- Belmont Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Belmont Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<2> to the southeast of Indianola.
- The Belmont Cemetery has also been known as:
- Belmont Zion Cemetery
- Old Baptist Cemetery
- St. Augustine Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #94230 <3>
- Randolph Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Hewitt Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Goodes Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (308 more) ...
- Highland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Liberty Center Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sandyville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
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 Ottawa in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ottawa.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Milo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Clarkson ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clarkson is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkson
- Ackworth
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Ackworth is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Indianola
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cool
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cool is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool
- Liberty Center
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Liberty Center is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Center
- Sandyville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sandyville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Summerset
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Summerset is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerset
- Palmyra
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Palmyra is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Medora
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Medora is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medora
- Lacona
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Caloma
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Caloma is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caloma
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Spring Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Hill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Hartford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bauer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bauer is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ottawa. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ottawa.
Newspapers Published in Ottawa ...
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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottawa.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ottawa, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ottawa.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Ottawa:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Polk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clarke County
- Dallas County
- Decatur County
- Jasper County
- Lucas County
- Madison County
- Marion County
- Warren 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ottawa) 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 Ottawa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |