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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 State Center Junction (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 State Center Junction. 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 State Center Junction ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for State Center Junction: State Ctr. Jct. (or less commonly used: State Cen. Jct., State Cent. Jct. or State Cntr. Jct.)

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.

State Center Junction is located in Marshall 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 Marshall County: Grundy, Hardin, Jasper, Poweshiek, Story & Tama.

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

  • Marshall County     (The home county of State Center Junction)
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Melbourne
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Malta
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Malta is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
    • Haverhill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Luray
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Luray is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
    • LaMoille
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • LaMoille is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaMoille
    • State Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Laurel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Laurel is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
    • Rhodes
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Rhodes is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
    • Ferguson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Ferguson is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Marshalltown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Marietta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Marietta is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
    • Dillon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Dillon is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
    • Albion
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Conrad
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Beaman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Beaman is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Union
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Union is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
    • Whitten
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Whitten is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitten
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
    • Gifford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • New Providence
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • New Providence is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Garden City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Garden City is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Hubbard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Eldora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Baxter
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Clyde
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Clyde is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Ira
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Ira is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
    • Lambs Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Lambs Grove is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambs Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
    • Newton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Newburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Newburg is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
    • Kellogg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Goddard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Goddard is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goddard
    • Green Castle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Green Castle is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Castle
    • Mingo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Metz
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Metz is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metz
    • Oakland Acres
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland Acres is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
    • Valeria
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Valeria is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valeria
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Loring
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Loring is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loring
    • Santiago
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Santiago is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santiago
    • Mitchellville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Elkhart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bondurant
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Altoona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Alleman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Alleman is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
  • Poweshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Grinnell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sheridan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Sheridan is located in Poweshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Malcom
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Searsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Searsboro is located in Poweshiek County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searsboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
  • Story County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Collins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Collins is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
    • Colo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Iowa Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Iowa Center is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Center
    • Maxwell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Fernald
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Fernald is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernald
    • Zearing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Nevada
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • McCallsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • McCallsburg is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCallsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
    • Shipley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Shipley is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipley
    • Cambridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Roland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Roland is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,252 people
    • Huxley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Midvale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Midvale is located in Story County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
  • Tama County
    • The following are listed by their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.
    • Montour
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Garwin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Garwin is located in Tama County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 490 people
    • Gladbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Tama
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Toledo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Gladstone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Gladstone is located in Tama County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
    • Long Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Long Point is located in Tama County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Point
    • Lincoln
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Lincoln is located in Tama County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people

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

Cemeteries Near State Center Junction ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of State Center Junction.

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 State Center Junction - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for State Center Junction covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from State Center Junction, with the one closest to State Center Junction listed first.

  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Melbourne Memorial Garden Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Logan Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • St. John's UCC Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • County Home Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • LaMoille Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Wilkey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Methodist Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Center School Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Eden Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (263 more) ...
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Graceland Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Timber Creek Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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 in 1895, State Center Junction had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Melbourne
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Malta
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Malta is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
  • Haverhill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Luray
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Luray is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
  • LaMoille
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • LaMoille is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaMoille
  • Laurel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Laurel is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
  • State Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Rhodes
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Rhodes is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
  • Baxter
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ferguson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ferguson is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
  • Marshalltown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Marietta
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Marietta is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Pickering
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Pickering is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickering
    • Dillon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Dillon is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
    • Moningers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Moningers is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moningers

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

Newspapers Published in State Center Junction ...

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 187 newspapers that have been published in the area around State Center Junction.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of State Center Junction, 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 State Center Junction.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 State Center Junction:

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 State Center Junction, 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- State Center Junction) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.