Iowa Gazetteers

Gazetteers list geographical names such as towns, settlements, rivers, mountains, villages, and districts. They also identify these locations and sometimes give historical and biographical information concerning early residents.

Several helpful lists of Iowa place names have been published, including:

Hair, James T. Iowa State Gazetteer. Chicago, Illinois: Bailey &amp; Hair, 1865. (FHL book 977.7 E4h; film 1024846 item 5 and film 982200 item 2) This gazetteer contains some limited biographical information. There are also lists of occupations, the names of people employed in that occupation and the cities where these people lived.

Mott, David C. Abandoned Towns, Villages, and Post Offices of Iowa. Council Bluffs, Iowa: J. W. Hoffman and S. L. Purington Publishing, 1973. (FHL book 977.7 E2m; film 973276 item 2 and film 967574 item 5; fiche 6051149)

R. L. Polk and Company. Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory. St. Paul, Minnesota: Polk; A.C. Danser, 1882-1883. (FHL film 989449 item 9 for 1882–1883 ed.; film 1007937 item 3 for 1884–1885 ed.)

Ramsey, Guy Reed. Postmarked Iowa: A List of Discontinued and Renamed Post Offices. Crete, Neb.: J-B Publishing Co., 1976. (FHL book 977.7 E5r)

Gazetteers are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

IOWA - GAZETTEERS

IOWA - NAMES GEOGRAPHICAL