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 Sharon (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 Sharon. 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.
Sharon is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Des Moines, Henry, Van Buren, Hancock (IL), Henderson (IL) & Clark (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Sharon. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sharon:
- Lee County (The home county of Sharon)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Big Mound
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Big Mound is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Mound
- Russellville ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Russellville is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Russellville has also been known as:
- Doantown
- Mount Hamill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Hamill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hamill
- Former names for Mount Hamill:
- Courtwright
- Hamill
- Primrose
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Primrose is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose
- Houghton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Houghton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- White Lane ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- White Lane is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lane
- Pilot Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Pilot Grove is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Donnellson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Paul
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Saint Paul is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Franklin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Croton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Croton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
- West Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Des Moines County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Danville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Danville is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Middletown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Middletown is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- West Burlington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Patterson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Kline
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kline is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Yarmouth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Dodgeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dodgeville is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Sperry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sperry is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sperry
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Hillsboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Salem
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lowell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lowell is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Oakland Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Oakland Mills is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Mills
- Westwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Westwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Mount Pleasant
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Rome
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Rome is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- New London
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Swedesburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Swedesburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedesburg
- Mount Union
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Union is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Estimated population in 2017: 107 people
- Olds
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Olds is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olds
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Wayland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Glasgow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Glasgow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Lockridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fairfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Libertyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Libertyville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Perlee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Perlee is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perlee
- Maharishi Vedic City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Maharishi Vedic City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maharishi Vedic City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
- Pleasant Plain
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Plain is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Farmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bonaparte
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Stockport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Zion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Mount Zion is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Winchester
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Winchester is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Keosauqua
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Mount Sterling
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kilbourn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Kilbourn is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourn
- Birmingham
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
- Cantril
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Douds
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Douds is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douds
- Leando
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Leando is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leando
- Washington County
- Coppock
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Coppock is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Hancock County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Nauvoo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Niota
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pontoosuc
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pontoosuc is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoosuc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Powellton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Powellton is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
- Dallas City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Colusa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hamilton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Warsaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Adrian
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Henderson County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Gulf Port
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Gulf Port is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf Port
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
- Lomax
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Lomax is located in Henderson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lomax <1>
- Clark County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Athens
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Athens is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Anson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Anson is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Acasto
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Acasto is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acasto
- Dumas
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Dumas is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Peaksville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Peaksville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Chambersburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chambersburg is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersburg
- Revere
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Saint Francisville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Saint Francisville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Francisville
- Clark City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Clark City is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark City
- Kahoka
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Medill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Medill is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medill
- Luray
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Luray is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Scotland County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Granger
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Granger is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Arbela
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sharon, see our County-by-County Page for Sharon.
Cemeteries Near Sharon ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sharon.
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 Sharon - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sharon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Sharon Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Kennedy Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Sax Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Cook Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Beeler Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Snyder Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- McDaniel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Acklan Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Primrose Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- McCulloch Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cottonwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (500 more) ...
- Wallingford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Reed's Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- J A Davis Grounds Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<3>
While we didn't find Sharon in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sharon.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sharon, with the one closest to Sharon listed first.
- Big Mound
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Big Mound is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Mound
- Primrose
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Primrose is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose
- Mount Hamill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Hamill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hamill
- Former names for Mount Hamill:
- Courtwright
- Hamill
- La Crew
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- La Crew is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Crew
- Houghton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Houghton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Pilot Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Pilot Grove is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Bonaparte
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Farmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Donnellson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Franklin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Saint Paul
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Saint Paul is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Salem
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Croton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Croton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
- Pierceville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pierceville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sharon. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sharon.
Newspapers Published in Sharon ...
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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sharon.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sharon, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sharon.
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 Sharon:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Lee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Des Moines County
- Henry County
- Jefferson County
- Van Buren County
- Washington County
- Hancock County
- Henderson County
- Clark County
- Scotland 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 Sharon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Sharon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |