RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Iowa >> Clayton County >> Watson >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Iowa

The Commemorative Quarter for Iowa





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 Watson (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 Watson. 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 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.

Watson is located in Clayton 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 Clayton County: Allamakee, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Winneshiek, Crawford (WI) & Grant (WI).

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

  • Clayton County     (The home county of Watson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Beulah
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beulah. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
      • Beulah is located in Clayton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beulah
      • From Watson to Beulah
    • Monona
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Luana
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luana
      • Luana is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Luana <2>
    • Marquette
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Hardin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
      • Hardin is located in Clayton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hardin
      • From Watson to Hardin
    • Farmersburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
      • Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
    • McGregor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGregor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
      • McGregor is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 826 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McGregor <2>
    • Saint Olaf
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Olaf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Olaf
      • Saint Olaf is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Olaf <2>
    • Gunder
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Clayton Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Elkader
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkader have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkader
      • Elkader is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkader <2>
    • Clayton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Allamakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Ion
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
      • Ion is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ion
      • From Watson to Ion
    • Volney
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rossville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Waukon Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
      • Waterville is located in Allamakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Harpers Ferry
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Postville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Dalby
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Elon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
      • Elon is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elon
      • From Watson to Elon
    • Waukon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lycurgus
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lycurgus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lycurgus
      • Lycurgus is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lycurgus
      • From Watson to Lycurgus
    • Lansing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
      • Lansing is located in Allamakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 933 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lansing <2>
  • Delaware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Colesburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Elgin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Clermont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clermont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
      • Clermont is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 580 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clermont <2>
    • Illyria
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Brainard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wadena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • West Union
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Union have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
      • West Union is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,270 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Union <2>
    • Douglass
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Arlington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
    • Fayette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayette have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
      • Fayette is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fayette <2>
    • Donnan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Donnan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnan
      • Donnan is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Donnan
      • From Watson to Donnan
    • Saint Lucas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Winneshiek County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Frankville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frankville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankville
      • Frankville is located in Winneshiek County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Frankville
      • From Watson to Frankville
    • Castalia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castalia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
      • Castalia is located in Winneshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Ossian
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Decorah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Festina
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Calmar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calmar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calmar
      • Calmar is located in Winneshiek County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calmar <2>
    • Highlandville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Fort Atkinson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Houston County (MN)
    • Eitzen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Crawford County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Prairie du Chien
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Bridgeport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Eastman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastman
      • Eastman is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
    • Wauzeka
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wauzeka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauzeka
      • Wauzeka is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
    • Ferryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferryville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferryville
      • Ferryville is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Steuben
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • De Soto
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Freeman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
      • Freeman is located in Crawford County (WI)
    • Boydtown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Mount Sterling
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
      • Mount Sterling is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
    • Petersburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bell Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bell Center. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Center
      • Bell Center is located in Crawford County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 114 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bell Center
      • From Watson to Bell Center
  • Grant County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson listed first.
    • Wyalusing
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bagley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Millville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Patch Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patch Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patch Grove
      • Patch Grove is located in Grant County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
    • Glen Haven
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
      • Bloomington is located in Grant County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
    • Mount Hope
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
      • Mount Hope is located in Grant County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
    • North Andover
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodman
      • Woodman is located in Grant County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
    • Mount Ida
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Ida. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ida
      • Mount Ida is located in Grant County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Ida
      • From Watson to Mount Ida
    • Beetown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cassville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Vernon County (WI)

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

Cemeteries Near Watson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watson.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Watson, with the one closest to Watson 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, Watson had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Monona
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Beulah
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beulah. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Beulah is located in Clayton County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Beulah
    • From Watson to Beulah
  • Volney
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Ion
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ion
    • Ion is located in Allamakee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ion
    • From Watson to Ion
  • Giard
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Giard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giard
    • Giard is located in Clayton County
  • Luana
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luana have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luana
    • Luana is located in Clayton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Luana <2>
  • Yellow River
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellow River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow River
    • Yellow River is located in Allamakee County
  • Hardin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hardin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
    • Hardin is located in Clayton County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hardin
    • From Watson to Hardin
  • Farmersburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersburg
    • Farmersburg is located in Clayton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
  • Rossville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • McGregor
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGregor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
    • McGregor is located in Clayton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 826 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McGregor <2>
  • Waukon Junction
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Prairie du Chien
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Waterville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
      • Waterville is located in Allamakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Saint Olaf
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Olaf have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Olaf
      • Saint Olaf is located in Clayton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Olaf <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Watson ...

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 164 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watson.

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

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 Watson:

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

The official website for Clayton County: www.claytoncountyiowa.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Watson, 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' (or 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- Watson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.0752, Longitude: -91.3303       In this case, the coordinates for Watson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025