Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Kingston, Linn County, Iowa: Comparing 1868/1869 and Now

Kingston was on the west side of the Cedar River opposite Cedar Rapids, as seen in this land ownership map.  D. W. Ensign & Co., "Map of Linn County, Iowa," Thompson & Everts (Geneva, Il.); digital image, Library of Congress: Maps (https://www.loc.gov/item/2012587552/ : accessed 8 Dec 2015).

Both of my parents had direct ancestors (Porter Worden/Hannah Leonard and George W Hartley/Rebecca Paul) living in Kingston City, Linn, Iowa in the 1860 Federal Census.  I have no idea if they knew each other.

Porter Worden (Ancestry's original indexer put Wooden) and family in "Rapids," yet their post office was Kingston.  Am I to assume they were west of the river, maybe in the rural area immediately outside Kingston?

George Hartley and family appear to be in Kingston proper.

Kingston does not come up as a place on modern maps.  It's existence is referenced by a modern apartment development at the terminal end of the old Kingston area limit:

Google Maps snapshot of the Kingston area.


I am not sure where exactly my ancestors lived in Kingston, but the northern part of it can be seen in this 1868 birds-eye view of Cedar Rapids:

These birds-eye maps are always fun.  A Ruger, "Birds eye view of the city of Cedar Rapids and Kingston, Linn Co., Iowa 1868." Chicago Lithographing Co.; digital image, Library of Congress: Maps (http://www.loc.gov/item/73693391/ : accessed 8 Dec 2015).

A closeup shows remarkably little in the layout of the area has changed compared to a snapshot from Google Earth today:






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1 comment:

  1. Isn't the football stadium still called "Kingston Stadium"?

    ReplyDelete