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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 Wesley (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 Wesley. 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 and hospitals 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.

Wesley is located in Kossuth 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 Kossuth County: Emmet, Hancock, Humboldt, Palo Alto, Winnebago, Faribault (MN) & Martin (MN).

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

  • Kossuth County     (The home county of Wesley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • Sexton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Sexton is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexton
    • Titonka
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Titonka is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Titonka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 433 people
    • Irvington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Irvington is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
    • Algona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • German Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • German Valley is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Valley
    • Burt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Burt is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
    • Lu Verne
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Bancroft
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 684 people
    • Lone Rock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lakota
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Lakota is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
    • Whittemore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Whittemore is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 469 people
    • Gerled
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gerled is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerled
  • Cerro Gordo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • Ventura
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Meservey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Meservey is located in Cerro Gordo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meservey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
  • Emmet County
    • Ringsted
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hancock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • Hutchins
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Hutchins is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
    • Corwith
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Corwith is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people
    • Britt
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Britt is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,928 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Britt <1>
    • Woden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Crystal Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
    • Duncan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Duncan is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
    • Kanawha
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Garner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Klemme
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Goodell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Goodell is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
  • Humboldt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • Renwick
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Livermore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Livermore is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livermore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
    • Hardy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Hardy is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
    • Arnold
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Arnold is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
    • Bode
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bode is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bode
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
    • Ottosen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Ottosen is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottosen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
    • Dakota City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Thor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Thor is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thor <1>
    • Humboldt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Rutland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Rutland is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Bradgate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bradgate is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradgate
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
  • Palo Alto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • West Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Rodman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Rodman is located in Palo Alto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
    • Cylinder
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cylinder is located in Palo Alto County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cylinder
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • Buffalo Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Forest City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Thompson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Leland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Leland is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
    • Rake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Rake is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Vinje
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Vinje is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinje
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wesley, with the one closest to Wesley listed first.
    • Olaf
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Olaf is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olaf
    • Goldfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Holmes
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Holmes is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes
    • Belmond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cornelia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Cornelia is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornelia
    • Clarion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Solberg ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Solberg is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solberg
  • Faribault County (MN)
    • Elmore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Elmore is located in Faribault County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people

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

Cemeteries Near Wesley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wesley.

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 Wesley - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wesley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Wesley Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Benedict Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Orthel Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Corwith Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Boone Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Christian Reformed Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Buffalo Twp. Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Magor Twp. Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Bingham Twp. Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Plum Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (147 more) ...
    • Good Hope Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Britt.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #94704 <2>
    • National Hobo Memorial
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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 Wesley had a population of 440 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wesley had a population of 364 people.

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

  • Sexton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Sexton is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexton
  • Hutchins
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hutchins is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
  • Stilson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Stilson is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilson
  • Corwith
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Corwith is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people
  • Britt
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Britt is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Britt
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,928 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Britt <1>
  • Irvington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Irvington is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
  • Algona
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • German Valley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • German Valley is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Valley
  • Lu Verne
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Crystal Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Crystal Lake is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
  • Burt
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Burt is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
  • Saint Joseph
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Joseph is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Hayfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hayfield is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayfield
    • Livermore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Livermore is located in Humboldt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livermore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
    • Renwick
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wesley ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wesley.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wesley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wesley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wesley.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Wesley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Wesley:

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 Wesley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wesley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.