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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 Sycamore Village (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 Sycamore Village. 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 Sycamore Village ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sycamore Village: Sycamore Vlg. (in Canada, 'Vlge.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Sycamore Village is located in Cass 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 Cass County: Adair, Adams, Audubon, Guthrie, Montgomery, Pottawattamie & Shelby.

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

  • Cass County     (The home county of Sycamore Village)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Atlantic
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Grove City ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Grove City is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Wiota
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Marne
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Norway Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Norway Center is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Center
    • Lewis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cumberland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cumberland is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
    • Anita
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Lyman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Lyman is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
    • Griswold
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Massena
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Dewey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Dewey is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey
  • Adair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Bridgewater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fontanelle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Fontanelle is located in Adair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontanelle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 612 people
    • Gilead
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilead is located in Adair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
    • Greenfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Lincoln Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Lincoln Center is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Center
    • Strand
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Strand is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strand
    • Mount Etna
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Etna is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
    • Carbon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Carbon is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
    • Carl
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Carl is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
    • Quincy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Quincy is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Williamson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Williamson is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
  • Audubon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Brayton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Exira
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Kimballton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Hamlin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Hamlin is located in Audubon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
    • Audubon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Fiscus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Fiscus is located in Audubon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
    • Ross
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Ross is located in Audubon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
    • Gray
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Guthrie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Adair
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • North Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • North Branch is located in Guthrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
    • Casey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Mills County
    • Henderson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Grant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Grant is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Elliott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sciola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Sciola is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sciola
    • Tenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Tenville is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenville
    • Stanton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Red Oak
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pottawattamie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Walnut
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
    • Avoca
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Avoca is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,537 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <1>
    • Hancock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
    • Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
    • Oakland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Oakland is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,491 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakland <1>
    • Carson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Carson is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 813 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carson <1>
    • Macedonia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Minden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Minden is located in Pottawattamie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 597 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minden <1>
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.
    • Elk Horn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Corley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Corley is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
    • Harlan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Shelby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Kirkman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Kirkman is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
    • Tennant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Tennant is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Irwin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Westphalia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Westphalia is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people

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

Cemeteries Near Sycamore Village ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sycamore Village.

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 Sycamore Village - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sycamore Village, with the one closest to Sycamore Village listed first.

  • Atlantic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic Cemetery
    • The Atlantic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Atlantic Catholic Cemetery
  • Southlawn Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Lorah Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Wiota Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Brighton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Norway Center Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Franklin Lutheran Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Bowen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (173 more) ...

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 Sycamore Village in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sycamore Village.

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

  • Atlantic
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Lorah
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lorah is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorah
  • Wiota
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Marne
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lewis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Brayton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Cumberland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cumberland is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
  • Lyman
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Lyman is located in Cass County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
  • Anita
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Walnut
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
  • Griswold
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Elk Horn
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Exira
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Kimballton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Massena
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Sycamore Village. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sycamore Village.

Newspapers Published in Sycamore Village ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sycamore Village.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sycamore Village, 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 Sycamore Village.

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 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 Sycamore Village:

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 Sycamore Village, 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' (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- Sycamore Village) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.