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 Winchester (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 Winchester. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Winchester is located in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County: Davis, Henry, Jefferson, Lee, Clark (MO) & Scotland (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Winchester. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Winchester:
- Van Buren County (The home county of Winchester)
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Stockport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Birmingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
- Mount Zion
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mount Zion is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Kilbourn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kilbourn is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourn
- Keosauqua
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Douds
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Douds is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douds
- Leando
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Leando is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leando
- Bonaparte
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Selma
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Selma is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Mount Sterling
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Farmington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cantril
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Davis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Chequest
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Chequest is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chequest
- Pulaski
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pulaski is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulaski
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- Floris
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Floris is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floris
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Carbon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Carbon is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Stiles
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stiles is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiles
- Bloomfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Steuben
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Steuben is located in Davis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steuben
- Drakesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Des Moines County
- Danville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Danville is located in Des Moines County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Hillsboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Salem
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rome
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rome is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
- Oakland Mills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oakland Mills is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Mills
- Westwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Westwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Mount Pleasant
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lowell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lowell is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Wayland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Swedesburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Swedesburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedesburg
- New London
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Olds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Olds is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olds
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Mount Union
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Union is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Estimated population in 2017: 107 people
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Glasgow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Glasgow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Libertyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Libertyville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Fairfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lockridge
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Maharishi Vedic City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Maharishi Vedic City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maharishi Vedic City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
- Perlee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Perlee is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perlee
- Batavia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Plain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Plain is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Plain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Abingdon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Abingdon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Packwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Packwood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Linby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Linby is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linby
- Pekin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pekin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
- Keokuk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Richland
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Ollie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ollie is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ollie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Nugent
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nugent is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nugent
- Martinsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Martinsburg is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Talleyrand
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Talleyrand is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talleyrand
- Hedrick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hedrick is located in Keokuk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Big Mound
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Big Mound is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Mound
- Russellville ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Russellville is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Russellville has also been known as:
- Doantown
- White Lane ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- White Lane is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lane
- Houghton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Houghton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Mount Hamill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hamill is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hamill
- Former names for Mount Hamill:
- Courtwright
- Hamill
- Primrose
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Primrose is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose
- Pilot Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pilot Grove is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Saint Paul
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Saint Paul is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Croton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Croton is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
- Donnellson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- West Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Wapello County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Eldon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Agency
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Cliffland
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Cliffland is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffland
- Competine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Competine is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Competine
- East Ottumwa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Ottumwa is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ottumwa
- Dahlonega
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dahlonega is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlonega
- Ottumwa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Highland Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Highland Center is located in Wapello County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Center
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Brighton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Coppock
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Coppock is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
- Rubio
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rubio is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rubio
- Clark County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Acasto
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Acasto is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acasto
- Anson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Anson is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Athens
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Athens is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Chambersburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Chambersburg is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersburg
- Peaksville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Peaksville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Dumas
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dumas is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Luray
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Luray is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Revere
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Medill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Medill is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medill
- Kahoka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Scotland County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Granger
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Granger is located in Scotland County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Arbela
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Memphis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Winchester, see our County-by-County Page for Winchester.
Cemeteries Near Winchester ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Winchester.
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 Winchester - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Winchester covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Topping Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Winchester Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Parkerville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Tedrow Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Smith Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Maple Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- United Presbyterian Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Miller Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Trumbo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fordyce Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Kilbourne Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (503 more) ...
- Rogers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gilbert Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
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 Winchester had a population of 217 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
- Stockport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Birmingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Birmingham is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
- Kilbourn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kilbourn is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourn
- Mount Zion
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mount Zion is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Utica
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Utica is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
- Pierceville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pierceville is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
- Collett
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Collett is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collett
- Pittsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pittsburg is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- Keosauqua
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Bentonsport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Glasgow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Glasgow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Vernon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Vernon is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hillsboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Leando
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Leando is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leando
- Libertyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Libertyville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Winchester. See our List of 1890's Communities around Winchester.
Newspapers Published in Winchester ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Winchester.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Winchester, 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 Winchester.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Winchester:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Van Buren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Davis County
- Des Moines County
- Henry County
- Jefferson County
- Keokuk County
- Lee County
- Wapello County
- Washington County
- Clark County
- Scotland 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 Winchester, 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' (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- Winchester) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |