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 Swanton (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 Swanton. 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 hospitals and 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.
Swanton is located in Butler 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 Butler County: Black Hawk, Bremer, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy & Hardin.
Below are the counties that are near Swanton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Swanton:
- Butler County (The home county of Swanton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Sinclair
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Sinclair is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair
- New Hartford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Parkersburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Coster is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
- Aplington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Butler Center
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Butler Center is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler Center
- Austinville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Austinville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austinville
- Shell Rock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Kesley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kesley is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kesley
- Allison
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Clarksville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bristow
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bristow is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Black Hawk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Finchford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Finchford is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchford
- Cedar Falls
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- North Cedar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- North Cedar is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cedar
- Cedar City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Cedar City is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar City
- Hudson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Janesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Voorhies
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Voorhies is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
- Waterloo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Blessing
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Blessing is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blessing
- Evansdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Eagle Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Eagle Center is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Center
- Edwards ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Edwards is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards
- Bremer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Waverly
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Denver
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bremer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bremer is located in Bremer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bremer
- Plainfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Horton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Horton is located in Bremer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Klinger
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Klinger is located in Bremer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klinger
- Knittel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Knittel is located in Bremer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knittel
- Readlyn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Seigel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Seigel is located in Bremer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seigel
- Tripoli
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Faulkner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Faulkner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faulkner
- Geneva
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hansell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bradford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bradford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
- Hampton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Stout
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Stout is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stout
- Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
- Dike
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fern
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Fern is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern
- Fredsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Fredsville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredsville
- Holland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Buck Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Buck Grove is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
- Morrison
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Grundy Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wellsburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Reinbeck
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Beaman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Beaman is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
- Conrad
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hardin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Ackley
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Cleves
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Cleves is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleves
- Abbott
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Abbott is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Steamboat Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Eldora
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Whitten
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Whitten is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitten
- Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
- Robertson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Robertson is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertson
- Eagle City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Eagle City is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle City
- Gifford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Union is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
- Owasa
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Owasa is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owasa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- New Providence
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- New Providence is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Liscomb
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Liscomb is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liscomb
- Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
- Green Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Green Mountain is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mountain
- Albion
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bangor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bangor is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Tama County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Lincoln
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Lincoln is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Dinsdale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Dinsdale is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dinsdale
- Gladbrook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Buckingham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Buckingham is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
- Traer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Garwin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Garwin is located in Tama County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 490 people
- Dysart
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Swanton, see our County-by-County Page for Swanton.
Cemeteries Near Swanton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swanton.
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 Swanton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Swanton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Reformed Church of Stout Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Beaver Twp. Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Beaver Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Lincoln Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Lincoln Twp. Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Twp. Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Codner Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Fairfield Twp. Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hillcrest Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Behrends Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (251 more) ...
- St. Clair Gravel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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, Swanton had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Swanton, with the one closest to Swanton listed first.
- Dairyville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dairyville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dairyville
- Lincoln
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lincoln is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- New Hartford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Fredsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Fredsville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredsville
- Parkersburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Holland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Grundy Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Morrison
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Finchford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Finchford is located in Black Hawk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchford
- Coster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Coster is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
- Aplington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wellsburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Cedar Falls
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Reinbeck
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hudson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Swanton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Swanton.
Newspapers Published in Swanton ...
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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swanton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swanton, 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 Swanton.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Swanton:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Butler County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Black Hawk County
- Bremer County
- Franklin County
- Grundy County
- Hardin County
- Marshall County
- Tama 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 Swanton, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Swanton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |