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 Waterville (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 Waterville. 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 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.
Waterville is located in Allamakee 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 Allamakee County: Clayton, Fayette, Winneshiek, Houston (MN), Crawford (WI) & Vernon (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Waterville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Waterville:
- Allamakee County (The home county of Waterville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Dalby
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Dalby is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalby
- Elon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Elon is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
- Rossville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rossville is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
- Ion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ion is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
- Waukon Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Waukon Junction is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon Junction
- Volney
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Volney is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
- Harpers Ferry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Waukon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lycurgus
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
- Lansing
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Postville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Albin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Clayton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Watson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Watson is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Monona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Beulah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Beulah is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Marquette
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hardin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hardin is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
- McGregor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Luana
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Farmersburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
- Saint Olaf
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Gunder
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gunder is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunder
- Clayton Center
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Clayton Center is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton Center
- Clayton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Clayton is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Clermont
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Elgin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Illyria
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Illyria is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illyria
- Brainard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Brainard is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainard
- Winneshiek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Frankville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Frankville is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
- Castalia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Ossian
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Highlandville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Highlandville is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlandville
- Decorah
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Calmar
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Festina
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hesper
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hesper is located in Winneshiek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesper
- Houston County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Eitzen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Eitzen is located in Houston County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eitzen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Bee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bee is located in Houston County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
- Wilmington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wilmington is located in Houston County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Reno
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Reno is located in Houston County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
- Spring Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Willington Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Willington Grove is located in Houston County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willington Grove
- Crawford County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Charme
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Charme is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charme
- Prairie du Chien
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Prairie du Chien is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Chien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,531 people
- Eastman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Eastman is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Ferryville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ferryville is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferryville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- De Soto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- De Soto is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto
- Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
- Freeman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Bridgeport
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Mount Sterling
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Mount Sterling is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Wauzeka
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wauzeka is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauzeka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Steuben
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Steuben is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steuben
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Rising Sun
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rising Sun is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
- Gays Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Gays Mills is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
- Grant County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Wyalusing
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wyalusing is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyalusing
- Millville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Millville is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- Bagley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bagley is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
- Patch Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Patch Grove is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patch Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Woodman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Woodman is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Mount Hope
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hope is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
- Bloomington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomington is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Glen Haven
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Glen Haven is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
- Werley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Werley is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Werley
- Boscobel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Boscobel is located in Grant County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boscobel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,134 people
- Vernon County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Retreat
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Retreat is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retreat
- West Prairie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Prairie is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Prairie
- Fargo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fargo is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
- Purdy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Purdy is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
- Genoa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Genoa is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Liberty Pole
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty Pole is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Pole
- Newton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Newton is located in Vernon County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Waterville, see our County-by-County Page for Waterville.
Cemeteries Near Waterville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waterville.
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 Waterville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Waterville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Waterville Lutheran Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cherry Mound Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- East Paint Creek Synod Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Maple Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rossville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- IOOF Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Reynolds Plot
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Elon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Thompson Corner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Old East Paint Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- West Paint Creek Synod Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (303 more) ...
- Sixteen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Center Baptist Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Waterville had a population of 70 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Waterville had a population of 142 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Waterville, with the one closest to Waterville listed first.
- Rossville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rossville is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
- Elon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Elon is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
- Volney
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Volney is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
- Ion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ion is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
- Waukon Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Waukon Junction is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukon Junction
- Harpers Ferry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Charme
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Charme is located in Crawford County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charme
- Watson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Watson is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Yellow River
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Yellow River is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow River
- Waukon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lycurgus
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
- Monona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Lansing
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Hardin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hardin is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
- Beulah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Beulah is located in Clayton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Waterville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Waterville.
Newspapers Published in Waterville ...
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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waterville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Waterville, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Waterville.
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 Waterville:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Allamakee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clayton County
- Fayette County
- Winneshiek County
- Houston County
- Crawford County
- Grant County
- Vernon 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> | 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 Waterville, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Waterville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |