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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 Sheldahl (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 Sheldahl. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Sheldahl is primarily located in Polk County. A portion of Sheldahl extends into Story County and Boone 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 Polk County: Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story & Warren.

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

  • Polk County     (The home county of Sheldahl)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl listed first.
    • Polk City Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Alleman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Polk City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Andrews
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Herrold
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ankeny
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ankeny have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ankeny
      • Ankeny is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 70,068 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ankeny <2>
    • Elkhart
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Johnston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston
      • Johnston is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,092 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnston <2>
    • Loring
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Grimes
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Saylorville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saylorville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saylorville
      • Saylorville is located in Polk County
    • Carney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carney
      • Carney is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carney
      • From Sheldahl to Carney
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl listed first.
    • Madrid
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Luther
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Luther. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
      • Luther is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Luther
      • From Sheldahl to Luther
    • Jordan
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Boone
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Moingona
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Centerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Boone County
    • Ogden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
      • Ogden is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,985 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ogden <2>
    • Mackey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mackey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
      • Mackey is located in Boone County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mackey
      • From Sheldahl to Mackey
    • Berkley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berkley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
      • Berkley is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berkley
      • From Sheldahl to Berkley
    • Fraser
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fraser have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraser
      • Fraser is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
    • Beaver
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
      • Beaver is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
    • Pilot Mound
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Dallas County
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl listed first.
    • Rippey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Grand Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Junction
      • Grand Junction is located in Greene County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 757 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Junction <2>
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl listed first.
    • Randall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Stanhope
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanhope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
      • Stanhope is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Jewell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Stratford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stratford <2>
  • Hardin County
    • Garden City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Hardin County
  • Jasper County
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl listed first.
    • Rhodes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhodes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
      • Rhodes is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
    • State Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Center
      • State Center is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,432 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for State Center <2>
    • Malta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
      • Malta is located in Marshall County
  • Story County
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl listed first.
    • Lakewood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Orillia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Orillia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orillia
      • Orillia is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Orillia
      • From Sheldahl to Orillia
    • Cumming
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumming have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumming
      • Cumming is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 413 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cumming <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Sheldahl ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sheldahl.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sheldahl, with the one closest to Sheldahl 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sheldahl had a population of 368 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sheldahl had a population of 325 people.

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

  • Slater
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Polk City Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Huxley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huxley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huxley
    • Huxley is located in Story County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,270 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huxley <2>
  • High Bridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Crocker
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crocker have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocker
    • Crocker is located in Polk County
  • Kelley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Madrid
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Cambridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
    • Cambridge is located in Story County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 796 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge <2>
  • Granger
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Luther
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Luther. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
    • Luther is located in Boone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Luther
    • From Sheldahl to Luther
  • Ankeny
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ankeny have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ankeny
    • Ankeny is located in Polk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 70,068 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ankeny <2>
  • Elkhart
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Ingersoll ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ingersoll have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingersoll
      • Ingersoll is located in Dallas County
    • Ames
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ontario
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontario have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in Story County

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

Newspapers Published in Sheldahl ...

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 250 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sheldahl.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sheldahl, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sheldahl.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Sheldahl:

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

The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.ia.us/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Sheldahl) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sheldahl. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8634, Longitude: -93.6960    
<6>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 Sheldahl, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025