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 Saint Olaf (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 Saint Olaf. 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 Saint Olaf ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Olaf: St. Olaf
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Saint Olaf is located in Clayton 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 Clayton County: Allamakee, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Winneshiek, Crawford (WI) & Grant (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Saint Olaf. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Olaf:
- Clayton County (The home county of Saint Olaf)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Farmersburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Clayton Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clayton Center is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Center
- Elkader
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Gunder
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gunder is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunder
- Monona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Beulah
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Beulah is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Garnavillo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Luana
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Osborne
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Osborne is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
- Watson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Watson is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Hardin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hardin is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
- Littleport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Littleport is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleport
- Mederville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mederville is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mederville
- Allamakee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Volney
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Volney is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
- Ion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ion is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
- Postville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rossville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Rossville is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
- Waukon Junction
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Waukon Junction is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon Junction
- Waterville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Waterville is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
- Harpers Ferry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dalby
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Dalby is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalby
- Elon
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Elon is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
- Waukon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lycurgus
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Lamont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Aurora
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Aurora is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
- Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
- Stanley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stanley is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Delaware County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Edgewood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Colesburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Colesburg is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colesburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 371 people
- Forestville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Forestville is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Greeley
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Holy Cross
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Holy Cross is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross
- Dundee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Oneida
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Oneida is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
- Almoral
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Almoral is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almoral
- Petersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Petersburg is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Manchester
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dubuque County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Luxemburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Luxemburg is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxemburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- New Vienna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- New Vienna is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Vienna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
- Holy Cross
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Holy Cross is located in Dubuque County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross
- Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Elgin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Illyria
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Illyria is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illyria
- Wadena
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Clermont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Brainard
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Brainard is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
- Arlington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
- Maryville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Maryville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryville
- Fayette
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- West Union
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Donnan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Donnan is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
- Douglass
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Douglass is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass
- Randalia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Randalia is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Maynard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Winneshiek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Castalia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Frankville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Frankville is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Ossian
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Festina
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Calmar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Prairie du Chien
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Prairie du Chien is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Chien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,531 people
- Bridgeport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bridgeport is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Charme
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Charme is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charme
- Eastman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Eastman is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Wauzeka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wauzeka is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauzeka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Grant County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Wyalusing
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Wyalusing is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyalusing
- Bagley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bagley is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
- Glen Haven
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Glen Haven is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
- Patch Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Patch Grove is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patch Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- North Andover
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- North Andover is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Andover
- Bloomington
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Bloomington is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Millville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Millville is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- Cassville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cassville is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
- Mount Hope
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mount Hope is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
- Beetown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Beetown is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beetown
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Olaf, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Olaf.
Cemeteries Near Saint Olaf ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Olaf.
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 Saint Olaf - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Olaf covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Farmersburg - Wagner Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Norway Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Colony Catholic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- County Home Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- United Brethren Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Johanningmeier Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Patterson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Weymouth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Gooding Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Zion Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clayton Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Winkawitsch Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (315 more) ...
- Clark Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Eastside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Olaf had a population of 56 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Olaf had a population of 99 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Olaf, with the one closest to Saint Olaf listed first.
- Farmersburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Elkader
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Giard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Giard is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giard
- Monona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Garnavillo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Beulah
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Beulah is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Osborne
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Osborne is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
- Communia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Communia is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Communia
- Luana
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Highland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Highland is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Watson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Watson is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Volga
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Volga is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Mederville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mederville is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mederville
- Littleport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Littleport is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleport
- Hardin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hardin is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saint Olaf. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Olaf.
Newspapers Published in Saint Olaf ...
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 137 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Olaf.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Olaf, 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 Saint Olaf.
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 Saint Olaf:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Clayton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allamakee County
- Buchanan County
- Delaware County
- Dubuque County
- Fayette County
- Winneshiek County
- Crawford County
- Grant 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> | 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 Saint Olaf, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Saint Olaf) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |