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 Wiota (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 Wiota. 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.
Wiota is located in Cass 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 Cass County: Adair, Adams, Audubon, Guthrie, Montgomery, Pottawattamie & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near Wiota. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wiota:
- Cass County (The home county of Wiota)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Norway Center
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Norway Center is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Center
- Grove City ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Grove City is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
- Sycamore Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Sycamore Village is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore Village
- Anita
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Atlantic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cumberland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cumberland is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Massena
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lewis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lyman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lyman is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
- Marne
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dewey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dewey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey
- Griswold
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Adair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Bridgewater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fontanelle
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Fontanelle is located in Adair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontanelle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 612 people
- Gilead
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gilead is located in Adair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- Greenfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Orient
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arbor Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Arbor Hill is located in Adair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbor Hill
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Lincoln Center
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lincoln Center is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Center
- Mount Etna
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Etna is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
- Strand
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Strand is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strand
- Carl
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Carl is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
- Carbon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Carbon is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
- Williamson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Williamson is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Quincy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Quincy is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Queen City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Queen City is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
- Corning
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Prescott
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brooks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Brooks is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
- Audubon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Brayton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Exira
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hamlin
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Hamlin is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
- Kimballton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Audubon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Ross
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ross is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
- Fiscus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fiscus is located in Audubon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiscus
- Gray
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Guthrie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Adair
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- North Branch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- North Branch is located in Guthrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
- Casey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Menlo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Guthrie Center
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Glendon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Glendon is located in Guthrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendon
- Stuart
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Grant
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Grant is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Elliott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sciola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sciola is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sciola
- Tenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Tenville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenville
- Stanton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Pottawattamie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Walnut
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Walnut is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
- Avoca
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Avoca is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,537 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <1>
- Hancock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Hancock is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Harlan Junction ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Harlan Junction is located in Pottawattamie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan Junction
- Oakland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Carson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Elk Horn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Corley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Corley is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Harlan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kirkman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kirkman is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
- Shelby
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wiota, see our County-by-County Page for Wiota.
Cemeteries Near Wiota ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wiota.
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 Wiota - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wiota covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Wiota Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Norway Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Atlantic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic Cemetery
- The Atlantic Cemetery has also been known as:
- Atlantic Catholic Cemetery
- Franklin Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lorah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Southlawn Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lincoln Center Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Highland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bowen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (182 more) ...
- Oakfield Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Massena Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massena Cemetery
- The Massena Cemetery has also been known as:
- Massena Center Cemetery
- Oakwood Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 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 Wiota had a population of 168 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wiota had a population of 107 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wiota, with the one closest to Wiota listed first.
- Lorah
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lorah is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorah
- Anita
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Atlantic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cumberland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cumberland is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Brayton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Massena
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lewis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lyman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lyman is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
- Marne
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Exira
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Adair
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgewater
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Canby
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Canby is located in Adair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canby
- Elk Horn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Griswold
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wiota. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wiota.
Newspapers Published in Wiota ...
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 125 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wiota.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wiota, 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 Wiota.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Wiota:
- Websites specific to Iowa
- Pages specific to Cass County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adair County
- Adams County
- Audubon County
- Guthrie County
- Montgomery County
- Pottawattamie County
- Shelby 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 Wiota, 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 from Point A (ie- Wiota) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |