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 Thompson (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 Thompson. 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 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.
Thompson is located in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County: Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Kossuth, Worth, Faribault (MN) & Freeborn (MN).
Below are the counties that are near Thompson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thompson:
- Winnebago County (The home county of Thompson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Leland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Leland is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Vinje
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Vinje is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinje
- Buffalo Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Scarville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rake is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Forest City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Mills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Cerro Gordo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Ventura
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Creamery
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Creamery is located in Cerro Gordo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
- Clear Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Crystal Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Crystal Lake is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
- Woden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Britt
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Duncan
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Duncan is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Hutchins
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Hutchins is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
- Garner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Klemme
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Corwith
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Corwith is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
- Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people
- Kanawha
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Kossuth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- German Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- German Valley is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Valley
- Titonka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Titonka is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Titonka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 433 people
- Lakota
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Lakota is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakota
- Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
- Ledyard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Gerled
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Gerled is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerled
- Wesley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wesley is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
- Bancroft
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bancroft is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
- Burt
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Burt is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
- Sexton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sexton is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexton
- Swea City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Lone Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Algona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Seneca
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Seneca is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
- Worth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Bristol
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bristol is located in Worth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
- Joice
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Joice is located in Worth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joice
- Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
- Fertile
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Hanlontown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Hanlontown is located in Worth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlontown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Silver Lake
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Silver Lake is located in Worth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Kensett
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kensett is located in Worth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
- Northwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Manly
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Faribault County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Kiester
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Bricelyn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Bricelyn is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bricelyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Walters
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Walters is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walters
- Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
- Frost
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Frost is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
- Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frost <1>
- Dell
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Dell is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dell
- Elmore
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Elmore is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
- Blue Earth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Blue Earth is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Earth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,098 people
- Former name for Blue Earth:
- Blue Earth City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Earth <1>
- Wells
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Wells is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,157 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wells <1>
- Easton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Easton is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
- Delavan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Delavan is located in Faribault County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Freeborn County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Emmons
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Emmons is located in Freeborn County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
- Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
- Conger
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Conger is located in Freeborn County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
- Alden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Twin Lakes
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Twin Lakes is located in Freeborn County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
- Albert Lea
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Glenville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Freeborn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Manchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Manchester is located in Freeborn County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thompson, see our County-by-County Page for Thompson.
Cemeteries Near Thompson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thompson.
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 Thompson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thompson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- King Twp. Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- West Prairie Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Linden Twp. Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Linden Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Holmes Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dan Lemme Farm Graves
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- West Prairie Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Forest Home Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- North Prairie Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Grant Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Eden Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Continue List (176 more) ...
- Mt. Valley Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Center Synod Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bethel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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, Thompson had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Thompson had a population of 466 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thompson, with the one closest to Thompson listed first.
- Leland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Leland is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Amund
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Amund is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amund
- Buffalo Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Crystal Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Crystal Lake is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
- Forest City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rake is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Kiester
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lake Mills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hayfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hayfield is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayfield
- German Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- German Valley is located in Kossuth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Valley
- Miller
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Miller is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Bristol
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bristol is located in Worth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Norman ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Norman is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norman
- Mansfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mansfield is located in Freeborn County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield
- Emmons
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Emmons is located in Freeborn County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
- Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thompson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thompson.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Thompson ...
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 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thompson.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Thompson. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Thompson and those printed in the larger area surrounding Thompson.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Thompson.
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 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 Thompson:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Winnebago County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cerro Gordo County
- Hancock County
- Kossuth County
- Worth County
- Faribault County
- Freeborn 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 Thompson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Thompson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |