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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 Woden (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 Woden. 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 hospitals 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.

Woden is located in Hancock 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 Hancock County: Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Humboldt, Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth & Wright.

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

  • Hancock County     (The home county of Woden)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Crystal Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Crystal Lake is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
    • Hutchins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Britt
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Duncan
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Corwith
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Corwith is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people
    • Garner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Kanawha
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Klemme
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Goodell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Cerro Gordo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Ventura
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Clear Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Creamery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Meservey
      (30 miles [48.3 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
  • Humboldt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Renwick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Livermore
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Kossuth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • German Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Titonka
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Titonka is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Titonka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 433 people
    • Wesley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wesley is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
    • Lakota
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakota is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakota
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
    • Sexton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Burt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Burt is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
    • Bancroft
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Gerled
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ledyard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Algona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Lone Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Irvington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Swea City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Buffalo Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Thompson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Leland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rake
      (17 miles [27.4 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Scarville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Worth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Fertile
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Joice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Joice is located in Worth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joice
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
    • Bristol
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hanlontown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hanlontown is located in Worth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlontown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Olaf
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Belmond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Faribault County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woden, with the one closest to Woden listed first.
    • Elmore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Elmore is located in Faribault County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • Bricelyn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Bricelyn is located in Faribault County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bricelyn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Kiester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Kiester is located in Faribault County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kiester <1>
    • Frost
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Frost is located in Faribault County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frost <1>
    • Dell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Walters
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Walters is located in Faribault County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walters
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
    • Blue Earth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Freeborn County (MN)
    • Emmons
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Emmons is located in Freeborn County (MN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people

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

Cemeteries Near Woden ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Woden.

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

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

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

  • Bingham Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Grant Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Christian Reformed Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Crystal Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Dan Lemme Farm Graves
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • German Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Good Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Orthel Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Linden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ramsey Reformed Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Buffalo Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (152 more) ...
    • Linden Twp. Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • German Twp. Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • St. Joseph Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

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.<2>

While we didn't find Woden in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Woden.

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

  • Crystal Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Crystal Lake is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
  • German Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hutchins
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Wesley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wesley is located in Kossuth County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
  • Britt
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Hayfield
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Hayfield is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayfield
  • Thompson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Buffalo Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Sexton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Stilson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Stilson is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stilson
  • Forest City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Miller
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Miller is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Leland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Burt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Burt is located in Kossuth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
    • Corwith
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Corwith is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 245 people

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

Newspapers Published in Woden ...

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 100 newspapers that have been published in the area around Woden.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Woden, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Woden.

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 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 Woden:

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>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 Woden, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Woden) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.