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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 Webster City (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 Webster City. 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 and 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.

Webster City is located in Hamilton County and is the County Seat.

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 Hamilton County: Boone, Franklin, Hardin, Story, Webster & Wright.

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

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Webster City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Kamrar
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Blairsburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blairsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsburg
      • Blairsburg is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Stanhope
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanhope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
      • Stanhope is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Williams
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Stratford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stratford <1>
    • Jewell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
      • Jewell is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,138 people
      • Jewell has also been known as:
      • Jewell Junction
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jewell <1>
    • Ellsworth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Randall
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
      • Randall is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Pilot Mound
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Mound
      • Pilot Mound is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
    • Fraser
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fraser have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraser
      • Fraser is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
    • Boxholm
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boxholm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxholm
      • Boxholm is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boxholm <1>
    • Centerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Boone County
    • Boone
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Jordan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Boone County
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Oakland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Franklin County
    • Popejoy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Popejoy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popejoy
      • Popejoy is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
    • Alexander
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Coulter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coulter
      • Coulter is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
    • Latimer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latimer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimer
      • Latimer is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 463 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Latimer <1>
  • Greene County
    • Paton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Alden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Buckeye
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckeye have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Radcliffe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Garden City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Hardin County
    • Hubbard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hubbard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
      • Hubbard is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 793 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hubbard <1>
    • Iowa Falls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Falls
      • Iowa Falls is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iowa Falls <1>
  • Humboldt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Thor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thor
      • Thor is located in Humboldt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thor <1>
    • Renwick
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Dakota City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hardy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy
      • Hardy is located in Humboldt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
    • Humboldt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Arnold
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Humboldt County
  • Story County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Story City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Zenorsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenorsville
      • Zenorsville is located in Story County
    • Gilbert
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Roland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
      • Roland is located in Story County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,252 people
    • McCallsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCallsburg
      • McCallsburg is located in Story County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
    • Ontario
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontario have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in Story County
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Duncombe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Brushy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy
      • Brushy is located in Webster County
    • Evanston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evanston
      • Evanston is located in Webster County
    • Vincent
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vincent have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
      • Vincent is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
    • Lehigh
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Coalville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
      • Coalville is located in Webster County
    • Cypsum City ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cypsum City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypsum City
      • Cypsum City is located in Webster County
    • Burnside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
      • Burnside is located in Webster County
    • Kalo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalo
      • Kalo is located in Webster County
    • Otho
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otho
      • Otho is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 505 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otho <1>
    • Fort Dodge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Badger
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Badger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger
      • Badger is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 534 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Badger <1>
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.
    • Woolstock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woolstock
      • Woolstock is located in Wright County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Eagle Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Clarion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Goldfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Holmes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes
      • Holmes is located in Wright County
    • Galt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Dows
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Solberg ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solberg
      • Solberg is located in Wright County
    • Cornelia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornelia
      • Cornelia is located in Wright County
    • Rowan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Belmond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Olaf
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olaf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olaf
      • Olaf is located in Wright County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Webster City ...

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 124 newspapers that have been published in the area around Webster City.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Webster City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Webster City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Webster City.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Webster City.

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 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 Webster City:

Cemeteries Near Webster City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Webster City.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Webster City, with the one closest to Webster City listed first.

  • Graceland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Cass Center Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Cass Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cass Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cass Creek Cemetery
  • Saratoga Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Community Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • French Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Homer Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • First Presbyterian Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Blairsburg Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Washington Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Cemetery
  • Continue List   (196 more) ...
    • Liberty Twp. Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Washington Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Washington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Washington Cemetery

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 Webster City had a population of 2,829 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Webster City had a population of 7,647 people.

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

  • Kamrar
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Flugstad ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flugstad have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flugstad
    • Flugstad is located in Webster County
  • Woolstock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woolstock
    • Woolstock is located in Wright County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
  • Homer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
    • Homer is located in Hamilton County
  • Blairsburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blairsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsburg
    • Blairsburg is located in Hamilton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
  • Duncombe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Brushy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy
    • Brushy is located in Webster County
  • Judd
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Judd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judd
    • Judd is located in Webster County
  • Border Plains
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Border Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Border Plains
    • Border Plains is located in Webster County
  • Stanhope
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanhope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
    • Stanhope is located in Hamilton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
  • Evanston
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evanston
    • Evanston is located in Webster County
  • Lehigh
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Vincent
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vincent have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
      • Vincent is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
    • Stratford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stratford <1>
    • Jewell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
      • Jewell is located in Hamilton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,138 people
      • Jewell has also been known as:
      • Jewell Junction
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jewell <1>

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

The official website for Webster City: www.webstercity.com/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Webster City) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Webster City. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4633, Longitude: -93.8166       In this case, the coordinates for Webster City have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Webster City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024