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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 Pella (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 Pella. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Pella is located in Marion County.

To see how the shape of Iowa's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Marion County: Jasper, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Polk, Poweshiek & Warren.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Pella)
  • Jasper County
  • Keokuk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Coal Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coal Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
      • Coal Creek is located in Keokuk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Coal Creek
      • From Pella to Coal Creek
    • Gibson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
      • Gibson is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
    • What Cheer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Delta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Thornburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Lucas County
    • Williamson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
      • Williamson is located in Lucas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamson <2>
  • Mahaska County
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Bluff Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bluff Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Creek
      • Bluff Creek is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bluff Creek
      • From Pella to Bluff Creek
    • Lovilia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovilia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilia
      • Lovilia is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovilia <2>
    • Avery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
      • Avery is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avery
      • From Pella to Avery
    • Albia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Georgetown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Georgetown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Georgetown
      • From Pella to Georgetown
    • Melrose
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Runnells
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Adelphi
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adelphi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adelphi
      • Adelphi is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Adelphi
      • From Pella to Adelphi
    • Mitchellville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchellville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellville
      • Mitchellville is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mitchellville <2>
    • Carlisle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Poweshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Searsboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Montezuma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montezuma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
      • Montezuma is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montezuma <2>
    • Grinnell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Malcom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malcom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcom
      • Malcom is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malcom <2>
    • Tilton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
      • Tilton is located in Poweshiek County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tilton
      • From Pella to Tilton
    • Deep River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep River
      • Deep River is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
  • Wapello County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Eddyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dudley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Kirkville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkville
      • Kirkville is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Chillicothe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chillicothe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chillicothe
      • Chillicothe is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Sandyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Hartford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Hartford is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <2>
    • Palmyra
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Lacona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Milo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Ackworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ackworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackworth
      • Ackworth is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people

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

Cemeteries Near Pella ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pella.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.

  • Oak Wood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Wood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Wood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Graceland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Virerson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Virerson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Virerson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • T'lam Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the T'lam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the T'lam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Timber Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Timber Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Timber Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Black Oak Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Porter Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hannold Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hannold Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hannold Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coal Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coal Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coal Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coal Ridge Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coal Ridge Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coal Ridge Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Monster Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monster Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (360 more) ...
    • Coffman Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coffman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coffman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Eureka Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eureka Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eureka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Howard Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Pella had a population of 2,408 people in 1895 with railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Pella had a population of 10,266 people.

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

  • Howell ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howell
    • Howell is located in Marion County
  • Durham
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
    • Durham is located in Marion County
  • Harvey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
    • Harvey is located in Marion County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
  • Flagler
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flagler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagler
    • Flagler is located in Marion County
  • Olivet
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Peoria
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Otley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Leighton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Tracy
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Cordova
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cordova have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cordova
    • Cordova is located in Marion County
  • Fishville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fishville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
    • Fishville is located in Mahaska County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fishville
    • From Pella to Fishville
  • Galesburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Pella ...

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 167 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pella.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Pella. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Pella and those printed in the larger area surrounding Pella.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Pella.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Pella:

The official website for Pella: www.pellacity.com/

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Pella, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Pella) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pella. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4081, Longitude: -92.9165    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025