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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 Iola (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 Iola. 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.

Iola is located in Grimes County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Grimes County: Brazos, Madison, Montgomery, Walker, Waller & Washington.

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

  • Grimes County     (The home county of Iola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Bedias
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Roans Prairie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roans Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roans Prairie
      • Roans Prairie is located in Grimes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roans Prairie <1>
    • Shiro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Anderson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
      • Anderson is located in Grimes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anderson <1>
    • Apolonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apolonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apolonia
      • Apolonia is located in Grimes County
    • Richards
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richards have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richards
      • Richards is located in Grimes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richards <1>
  • Brazos County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Kurten
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Wixon Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wixon Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wixon Valley
      • Wixon Valley is located in Brazos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
    • Edge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edge
      • Edge is located in Brazos County
    • Boonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonville
      • Boonville is located in Brazos County
    • Tabor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
      • Tabor is located in Brazos County
    • College Station
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Bryan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
      • Bryan is located in Brazos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88,165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bryan <1>
    • Wellborn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Millican
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rye ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rye have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
      • Rye is located in Brazos County
    • Navasota
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navasota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navasota
      • Navasota is located in Brazos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,374 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Navasota <1>
    • Allen Farm
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Farm
      • Allen Farm is located in Brazos County
    • Stone City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stone City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone City
      • Stone City is located in Brazos County
  • Burleson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Clay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
      • Clay is located in Burleson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clay <1>
    • Snook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snook
      • Snook is located in Burleson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snook <1>
  • Leon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Normangee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Normangee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normangee
      • Normangee is located in Leon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Normangee <1>
    • Wealthy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wealthy
      • Wealthy is located in Leon County
    • Hilltop Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Flynn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flynn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flynn
      • Flynn is located in Leon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flynn <1>
    • Leona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leona
      • Leona is located in Leon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leona <1>
    • Middleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
      • Middleton is located in Leon County
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Zulch ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zulch came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zulch
      • Zulch is located in Madison County
    • North Zulch
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • George
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for George
      • George is located in Madison County
    • Madisonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Midway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Montgomery County
    • Dacus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacus
      • Dacus is located in Montgomery County
  • Robertson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Wheelock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • New Baden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Franklin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Robertson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,643 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <1>
    • Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge
      • Ridge is located in Robertson County
    • Mumford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mumford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mumford
      • Mumford is located in Robertson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mumford <1>
  • Walker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Wesley Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Grove
      • Wesley Grove is located in Walker County
    • Goshen ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Goshen is located in Walker County

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

Newspapers Published in Iola ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Iola.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Iola, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Iola.

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 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 Iola:

Cemeteries Near Iola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Iola.

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

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

  • Zion Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howard Cemetery
  • Enon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Grove Cemetery
  • Williamson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williamson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williamson Cemetery
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Old Bethel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Willow Hole Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • The Willow Hole Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Willow Hole Church Cemetery
    • Willowhole Cemetery
    • Willowhole Chapel Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willow Hole Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #290864 <5>
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Tryson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tryson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tryson Cemetery
  • Oxford Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oxford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oxford Cemetery
  • Fridel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fridel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fridel Cemetery
  • Continue List   (151 more) ...
    • Stick Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stick Cemetery
    • Nash Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nash Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nash Cemetery
    • Holuber Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holuber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holuber 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Iola had a population of 109 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Iola had a population of 433 people.

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

  • Bedias
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Zulch ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zulch came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zulch
    • Zulch is located in Madison County
  • Keith
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keith have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keith
    • Keith is located in Grimes County
  • Kurten
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Harvey
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
    • Harvey is located in Brazos County
  • Roans Prairie
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roans Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roans Prairie
    • Roans Prairie is located in Grimes County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roans Prairie <1>
  • Madisonville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Tabor
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Tabor is located in Brazos County
  • Bryan
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
    • Bryan is located in Brazos County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 88,165 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bryan <1>
  • College Station
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Anderson
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Anderson is located in Grimes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anderson <1>
  • Connor
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Connor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connor
    • Connor is located in Madison County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Wheelock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Wellborn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Apolonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apolonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apolonia
      • Apolonia is located in Grimes County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Iola. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<4>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- Iola) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Iola. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.7715, Longitude: -96.0763       In this case, the coordinates for Iola have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Iola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024