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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 Ritter (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 Ritter. 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 hospitals and 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.

Ritter is located in O'Brien 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 O'Brien County: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, Osceola, Plymouth & Sioux.

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

  • O'Brien County     (The home county of Ritter)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Sheldon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Archer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sanborn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Primghar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hartley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Hartley is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
    • Paullina
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Paullina is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paullina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 965 people
    • Germantown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Germantown is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
    • Moneta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Moneta is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moneta
    • Calumet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Calumet is located in O'Brien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
    • Sutherland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Marcus
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Larrabee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Larrabee is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larrabee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
    • Cleghorn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cleghorn is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleghorn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Everly
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Everly is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
    • Royal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Dickinson County
    • Lake Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • George
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Little Rock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Edna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Edna is located in Lyon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
    • Doon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Rock Rapids
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Alvord
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Lester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lester is located in Lyon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Ashton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Cloverdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Cloverdale is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Melvin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Melvin is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • Sibley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Allendorf
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Allendorf is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendorf
    • May City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • May City is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May City
    • Ocheyedan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Ocheyedan is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocheyedan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 463 people
    • Harris
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Harris is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
  • Plymouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Remsen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Struble
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Struble is located in Plymouth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Struble
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
  • Sioux County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Matlock
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Boyden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Boyden is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
    • Hospers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Middleburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Middleburg is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
    • Hull
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Hull is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <1>
    • Granville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Granville is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Perkins
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Perkins is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
    • Alton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Orange City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sioux Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Westbrook Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
    • Rock Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Maurice
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Maurice is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
  • Nobles County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Bigelow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bigelow is located in Nobles County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigelow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
    • Ransom
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Ransom is located in Nobles County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
    • Ellsworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Org
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Org is located in Nobles County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Org
    • Rushmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Rushmore is located in Nobles County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Round Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Adrian
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Adrian is located in Nobles County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,207 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adrian <1>
    • Worthington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Rock County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ritter, with the one closest to Ritter listed first.
    • Kanaranzi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ash Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
    • Steen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Steen is located in Rock County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
    • Magnolia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Magnolia is located in Rock County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people

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

Cemeteries Near Ritter ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ritter.

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

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

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

  • Quaker Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • East Lawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Gilman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Roseland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Zoar Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lyon County First Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Cecilla Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (106 more) ...
    • St. John Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Boyden Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Grant Twp. Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ritter had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Sheldon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Ashton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Matlock
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Boyden
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Boyden is located in Sioux County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
  • Archer
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sanborn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sibley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • George
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hospers
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Little Rock
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Newkirk
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Newkirk is located in Sioux County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newkirk
  • Primghar
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Middleburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Middleburg is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
    • Hull
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Hull is located in Sioux County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <1>
    • Edna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Edna is located in Lyon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna

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

Newspapers Published in Ritter ...

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 129 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ritter.

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

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 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 Ritter:

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>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 Ritter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ritter) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.