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 Rock Rapids (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 Rock Rapids. 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.
Name Variations for Rock Rapids ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Rock Rapids: Rock Rpds.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Rock Rapids is located in Lyon County and is the County Seat.
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 Lyon County: Osceola, Sioux, Nobles (MN), Rock (MN), Lincoln (SD) & Minnehaha (SD).
Below are the counties that are near Rock Rapids. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rock Rapids:
- Lyon County (The home county of Rock Rapids)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Edna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Lester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lester is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Alvord
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Doon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- George
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Larchwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Little Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Inwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Klondike
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Klondike is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Beloit
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beloit is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- O'Brien County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Sheldon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Archer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sanborn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Osceola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Ashton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sibley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Allendorf
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Allendorf is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendorf
- Melvin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Melvin is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Sioux County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Hull
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Perkins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Perkins is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins
- Rock Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Matlock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Boyden
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Boyden is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Middleburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Middleburg is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Sioux Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Westbrook Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Westbrook Village is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
- Lebanon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lebanon is located in Sioux County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
- Hospers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Orange City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Nobles County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Ellsworth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Adrian
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ransom
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ransom is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
- Rushmore
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rushmore is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Bigelow
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bigelow is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bigelow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
- Lismore
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lismore is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lismore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 218 people
- Org
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Org is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Org
- Wilmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Leota
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Leota is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leota
- Reading
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Reading is located in Nobles County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
- Rock County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Steen
(7 miles [11.3 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
- Ash Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Kanaranzi
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Luverne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Magnolia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Magnolia is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Beaver Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Beaver Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
- Manley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Manley is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manley
- Kenneth
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Kenneth is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Hardwick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lincoln County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Fairview
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Canton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Shindler
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Shindler is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shindler
- Population from the 2010 Census: 584 people
- Hudson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Harrisburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Moe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Moe is located in Lincoln County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moe
- Worthing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Minnehaha County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Valley Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Rowena
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Brandon
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Lakes Addition
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Pine Lakes Addition is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lakes Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 314 people
- Split Rock Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Split Rock Heights is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Split Rock Heights
- Estimated population in 2014: 216 people
- Garretson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sherman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sherman is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Norton Acres
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Norton Acres is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norton Acres
- Population from the 2010 Census: 342 people
- Sioux Falls
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Meadow View Addition
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Meadow View Addition is located in Minnehaha County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow View Addition
- Population from the 2010 Census: 538 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rock Rapids, see our County-by-County Page for Rock Rapids.
Cemeteries Near Rock Rapids ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rock Rapids.
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 Rock Rapids - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rock Rapids covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Riverside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Holy Name Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Eastside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Apostolic Christian Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Trinity Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Zion Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hillside Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hope Reformed Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- St. Mary's Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (111 more) ...
- Grand Prairie Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ash Wood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Garfield Twp. Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
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 Rock Rapids had a population of 1,394 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Rock Rapids had a population of 2,518 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rock Rapids, with the one closest to Rock Rapids listed first.
- Edna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Edna is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Steen
(7 miles [11.3 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
- Ash Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ash Creek is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Creek
- Lester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lester is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Alvord
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ellsworth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Doon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- George
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kanaranzi
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Larchwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Little Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Inwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Magnolia is located in Rock County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rock Rapids. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rock Rapids.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rock Rapids ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rock Rapids.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rock Rapids. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rock Rapids and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rock Rapids.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Rock Rapids.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Rock Rapids:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Lyon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- O'Brien County
- Osceola County
- Sioux County
- Nobles County
- Rock County
- Lincoln County
- Minnehaha 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> | 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 Rock Rapids, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Rock Rapids) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |