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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 Rose Hill (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 Rose Hill. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Rose Hill is located in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County: Jasper, Keokuk, Marion, Monroe, Poweshiek & Wapello.

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

  • Mahaska County     (The home county of Rose Hill)
  • Davis County
    • Carbon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
      • Carbon is located in Davis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carbon
      • From Rose Hill to Carbon
  • Iowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rose Hill, with the one closest to Rose Hill listed first.
    • Millersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • North English
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Parnell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parnell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
      • Parnell is located in Iowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parnell <2>
  • Jasper County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rose Hill, with the one closest to Rose Hill listed first.
    • Pekin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pekin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
      • Pekin is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pekin
      • From Rose Hill to Pekin
    • Linby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Abingdon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Packwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Batavia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Maharishi Vedic City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maharishi Vedic City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maharishi Vedic City
      • Maharishi Vedic City is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
  • Keokuk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rose Hill, with the one closest to Rose Hill listed first.
    • Delta
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • What Cheer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Coal Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<1>
      • 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 Rose Hill to Coal Creek
    • Hayesville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
      • Hayesville is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Gibson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Thornburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sigourney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sigourney have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigourney
      • Sigourney is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,980 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sigourney <2>
    • Hedrick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedrick have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
      • Hedrick is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
    • Keswick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Martinsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
      • Martinsburg is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Aurora
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Keokuk County
    • Webster
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Harper
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harper have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
      • Harper is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
  • Marion County
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rose Hill, with the one closest to Rose Hill listed first.
    • Avery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
      • Avery is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avery
      • From Rose Hill to Avery
    • Bluff Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Lovilia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovilia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Albia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Poweshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rose Hill, with the one closest to Rose Hill listed first.
    • Tilton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
      • Tilton is located in Poweshiek County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tilton
      • From Rose Hill to Tilton
    • Deep River
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Montezuma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montezuma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Searsboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Guernsey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guernsey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guernsey
      • Guernsey is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guernsey <2>
    • Malcom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malcom have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Brooklyn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooklyn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Brooklyn is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,390 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brooklyn <2>
    • Victor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
      • Victor is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 865 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Victor <2>
  • Wapello County
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rose Hill, with the one closest to Rose Hill listed first.
    • Rubio
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rubio have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rubio
      • Rubio is located in Washington County
    • Nira
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nira. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nira
      • Nira is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nira
      • From Rose Hill to Nira

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

Cemeteries Near Rose Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rose Hill.

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 Rose Hill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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 Rose Hill had a population of 200 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Rose Hill had a population of 161 people.

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

  • Tioga
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tioga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
    • Tioga is located in Mahaska County
  • Atwood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
    • Atwood is located in Keokuk County
  • Wright
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Exeelsior
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Exeelsior. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeelsior
    • Exeelsior is located in Mahaska County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Exeelsior
    • From Rose Hill to Exeelsior
  • Indianapolis
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Delta
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Fremont
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • What Cheer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedar
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Coal Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<1>
    • 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 Rose Hill to Coal Creek
  • Oskaloosa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Union Mills
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Lacey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Beacon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Hayesville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayesville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
      • Hayesville is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people

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

Newspapers Published in Rose Hill ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rose Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rose Hill, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rose Hill.

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 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 Rose Hill:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rose Hill. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Rose Hill, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rose Hill) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rose Hill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3210, Longitude: -92.4639    









 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025