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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 Union Mills (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 Union Mills. 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 Union Mills ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Union Mills: Union Mls. (or less commonly used: Union Mlls.)

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 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.

Union Mills is located in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County: Jasper, Keokuk, Marion, Monroe, Poweshiek & Wapello.

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

  • Mahaska County     (The home county of Union Mills)
  • Iowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills listed first.
    • Millersburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • North English
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Ladora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ladora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladora
      • Ladora is located in Iowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ladora <1>
    • Parnell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parnell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
      • Parnell is located in Iowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parnell <1>
  • Jasper County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills listed first.
    • Pekin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pekin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
      • Pekin is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pekin
      • From Union Mills to Pekin
    • Linby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Keokuk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills listed first.
    • Coal Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Gibson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
      • Gibson is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
    • What Cheer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Thornburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Delta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Aurora
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Keokuk County
    • Keswick
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Webster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Sigourney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sigourney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigourney
      • Sigourney is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,980 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sigourney <1>
    • Hayesville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayesville
      • Hayesville is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Hedrick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hedrick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
      • Hedrick is located in Keokuk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
    • South English
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Marion County
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills listed first.
    • Bluff Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Avery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
      • Avery is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avery
      • From Union Mills to Avery
    • Lovilia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovilia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilia
      • Lovilia is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lovilia <1>
  • Poweshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills listed first.
    • Montezuma
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montezuma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
      • Montezuma is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montezuma <1>
    • Tilton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tilton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
      • Tilton is located in Poweshiek County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tilton
      • From Union Mills to Tilton
    • Searsboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Deep River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep River
      • Deep River is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
    • Malcom
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malcom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcom
      • Malcom is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malcom <1>
    • Guernsey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guernsey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guernsey
      • Guernsey is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guernsey <1>
    • Brooklyn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooklyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Brooklyn is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,390 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brooklyn <1>
    • Grinnell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Victor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
      • Victor is located in Poweshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 865 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Victor <1>
    • Hartwick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheridan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Wapello County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills listed first.
    • Eddyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Kirkville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkville
      • Kirkville is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
    • Chillicothe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chillicothe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chillicothe
      • Chillicothe is located in Wapello County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Dudley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Highland Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dahlonega
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Competine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Union Mills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Union Mills.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Union Mills, with the one closest to Union Mills 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Union Mills had a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Union Mills ...

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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around Union Mills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Union Mills, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Union Mills.

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 websites either 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 Union Mills:

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

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.gov/

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 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.
<3>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.
<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>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 Union Mills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Union Mills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Union Mills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4525, Longitude: -92.5707    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025