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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 Pierson (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 Pierson. 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 and hospitals 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.

Pierson is located in Woodbury 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 Woodbury County: Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, Dakota (NE), Thurston (NE) & Union (SD).

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

  • Woodbury County     (The home county of Pierson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • Correctionville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Anthon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Moville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Cushing
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cushing is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
    • Lawton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Lawton is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 979 people
    • Oto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Oto is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
    • Climbing Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Climbing Hill is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climbing Hill
    • Bronson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bronson is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bronson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 318 people
    • Smithland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Danbury
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Evergreen Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Glen Ellen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Glen Ellen is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Ellen
  • Buena Vista County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • Alta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Alta is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,916 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alta <1>
    • Elkton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkton is located in Buena Vista County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • Washta
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Washta is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Fielding
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Fielding is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fielding
    • Quimby
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Quimby is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quimby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
    • Mary Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Mary Hill is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mary Hill
    • Marcus
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Cleghorn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Cleghorn is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleghorn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
    • Meriden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Meriden is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Cherokee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Aurelia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Larrabee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Larrabee is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larrabee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
  • Ida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • Holstein
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Battle Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Galva
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Ida Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Arthur
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Arthur is located in Ida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
  • Monona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • Rodney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Rodney is located in Monona County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Mapleton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • O'Brien County
    • Germantown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Germantown is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • Kingsley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • O'Leary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • O'Leary is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Leary
    • Remsen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Oyens
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Oyens is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Le Mars
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Merrill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • James
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • James is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
    • Brunsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Brunsville is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Struble
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Struble is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Adaville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Adaville is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaville
  • Sac County
    • Schaller
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Sioux County
    • Granville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Granville is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
  • Dakota County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierson, with the one closest to Pierson listed first.
    • South Sioux City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Dakota City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Pierson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pierson.

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

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

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

  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Good Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Church of the Brethren Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Fairfield Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Correctionville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Grand Meadow Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Kingsley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Elkhorn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Sunset View Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Arlington Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (120 more) ...
    • Wolf Creek Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Cushing Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Pierson had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Pierson had a population of 349 people.

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

  • Correctionville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Kingsley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Washta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Washta is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washta
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
  • Fielding
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Fielding is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fielding
  • Moville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Anthon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Lucky Valley ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Lucky Valley is located in Woodbury County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucky Valley
  • Cushing
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cushing is located in Woodbury County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushing
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 215 people
  • Quimby
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Quimby is located in Cherokee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quimby
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
  • Midway
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Midway is located in Woodbury County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
  • O'Leary
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • O'Leary is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Leary
  • Union Center
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Union Center is located in Plymouth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Holstein
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Neptune
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Neptune is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
    • Climbing Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Climbing Hill is located in Woodbury County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climbing Hill

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

Newspapers Published in Pierson ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pierson.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Pierson:

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 Pierson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Pierson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.