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 Walnut (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 Walnut. 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 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.
Walnut is located in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County: Cass, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Shelby, Douglas (NE), Sarpy (NE) & Washington (NE).
Below are the counties that are near Walnut. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Walnut:
- Pottawattamie County (The home county of Walnut)
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Avoca
(5 miles [8 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>
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Hancock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Oakland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Minden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Carson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Neola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Macedonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Underwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- McClelland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Treynor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Weston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Weston is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Pigeon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Pigeon is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Audubon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Kimballton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Fiscus
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Fiscus is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
- Exira
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Hamlin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hamlin is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
- Audubon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ross
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ross is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
- Gray
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Carroll County
- Manning
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Marne
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Atlantic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore Village is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Village
- Lewis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Grove City ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Grove City is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
- Wiota
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Griswold
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Norway Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Norway Center is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Center
- Lyman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lyman is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
- Anita
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cumberland
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Cumberland is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Massena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Astor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Astor is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Manilla
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Aspinwall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Aspinwall is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinwall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Buck Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Buck Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Guthrie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- North Branch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- North Branch is located in Guthrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
- Adair
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Yorkshire
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Yorkshire is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
- Persia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Persia is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Woodbine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mills County
- Henderson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Elliott
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Grant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Grant is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Corley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Elk Horn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Harlan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Shelby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Tennant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tennant is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- Kirkman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Westphalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Westphalia is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Portsmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Irwin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Panama
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Earling
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Earling is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
- Defiance
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Defiance is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Defiance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Botna
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Botna is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botna
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Walnut, see our County-by-County Page for Walnut.
Cemeteries Near Walnut ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Walnut.
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 Walnut - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Walnut covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Walnut Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Walnut Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Monroe Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jacobson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Altamont Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Brighton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Lee Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Graceland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lincoln Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Clay Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (167 more) ...
- Olson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carlsen - Larsen Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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 Walnut had a population of 811 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Walnut had a population of 768 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Walnut, with the one closest to Walnut listed first.
- Avoca
(5 miles [8 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>
- Marne
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Corley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Hancock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Elk Horn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Atlantic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Harlan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kimballton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shelby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lorah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lorah is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorah
- Lewis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Oakland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Brayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Kirkman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Walnut. See our List of 1890's Communities around Walnut.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Walnut ...
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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Walnut.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Walnut. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Walnut and those printed in the larger area surrounding Walnut.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Walnut.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Walnut:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Pottawattamie County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Audubon County
- Carroll County
- Cass County
- Crawford County
- Guthrie County
- Harrison County
- Mills County
- Montgomery County
- Shelby 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 Walnut, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Walnut) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |