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 Saratoga (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 Saratoga. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Saratoga is located in Howard 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 Howard County: Chickasaw, Floyd, Mitchell, Winneshiek, Fillmore (MN) & Mower (MN).
Below are the counties that are near Saratoga. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saratoga:
- Howard County (The home county of Saratoga)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Davis Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Davis Corners is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corners
- Riceville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Chester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lime Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Elma
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Forest City ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Forest City is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Vernon Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Vernon Springs is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Springs
- Cresco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Florenceville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Florenceville is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florenceville
- Protivin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Chickasaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Alta Vista
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Jerico
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jerico is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico
- Deerfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Deerfield is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
- North Washington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- North Washington is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Bassett
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bassett is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- New Hampton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Chickasaw
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Chickasaw is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chickasaw
- Ionia
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lawler
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bradford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bradford is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Nashua
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Republic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Republic is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Republic
- Fredericksburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fayette County
- Waucoma
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Colwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Floyd
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Charles City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carrville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Carrville is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrville
- Rudd
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- McIntire
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- McIntire is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- New Haven
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- New Haven is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
- Meyer
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Meyer is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyer
- Little Cedar
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Little Cedar is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Cedar
- Stacyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Stacyville is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 466 people
- Orchard
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Orchard is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- Osage
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Mitchell
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Mitchell is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Toeterville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Saint Ansgar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Rock Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Carpenter
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Carpenter is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 108 people
- Winneshiek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Kendallville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Kendallville is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendallville
- Ridgeway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bluffton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bluffton is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Jackson Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson Junction is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Junction
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Navan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Navan is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navan
- Spillville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Burr Oak
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Fort Atkinson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Calmar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fillmore County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- York
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- York is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Etna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Etna is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Ostrander
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Granger
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Granger is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Spring Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Carimona
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Carimona is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
- Harmony
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wykoff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Fillmore
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Fillmore is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Canton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Preston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mower County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Le Roy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Taopi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Taopi is located in Mower County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taopi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Adams
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Johnsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Johnsburg is located in Mower County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsburg
- Grand Meadow
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Elkton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Elkton is located in Mower County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Rose Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Racine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Dexter
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lyle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saratoga, see our County-by-County Page for Saratoga.
Cemeteries Near Saratoga ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saratoga.
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 Saratoga - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saratoga covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Saratoga Twp. Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Saratoga Twp. Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Maple Leaf Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Calvary Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jenkins Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Chester Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- St. Peters Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Reckner Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Calvary Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Howard Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (232 more) ...
- Howard Center Twp. Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Wayne Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Holy Cross 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saratoga had a population of 49 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saratoga, with the one closest to Saratoga listed first.
- Davis Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Davis Corners is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Corners
- Riceville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Elma
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lime Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Chester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lourdes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lourdes is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lourdes
- Le Roy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- McIntire
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- McIntire is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Bonair
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Bonair is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonair
- Alta Vista
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bailey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bailey is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- New Haven
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- New Haven is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- York
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- York is located in Fillmore County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Brownville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Brownville is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownville
- Jerico
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jerico is located in Chickasaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saratoga. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saratoga.
Newspapers Published in Saratoga ...
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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saratoga.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saratoga, 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 Saratoga.
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 Saratoga:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Howard County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chickasaw County
- Fayette County
- Floyd County
- Mitchell County
- Winneshiek County
- Fillmore County
- Mower 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 Saratoga, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Saratoga) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |