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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 Atwood (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 Atwood. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 north 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.

Atwood is located in Rawlins County and is the County Seat.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rawlins County: Cheyenne, Decatur, Sherman, Thomas, Dundy (NE), Hitchcock (NE) & Red Willow (NE).

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

  • Rawlins County     (The home county of Atwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
    • Ludell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludell
      • Ludell is located in Rawlins County
    • Beardsley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beardsley
      • Beardsley is located in Rawlins County
    • Herndon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herndon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
      • Herndon is located in Rawlins County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
    • McDonald
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDonald have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
      • McDonald is located in Rawlins County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Cheyenne County
    • Bird City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Decatur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
    • Traer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Traer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Traer
      • Traer is located in Decatur County
    • Oberlin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oberlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oberlin
      • Oberlin is located in Decatur County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oberlin <2>
  • Thomas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
    • Gem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gem
      • Gem is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Rexford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Colby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
      • Colby is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,315 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colby <2>
    • Levant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Levant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levant
      • Levant is located in Thomas County
  • Dundy County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
    • Max
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Benkelman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Hitchcock County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atwood, with the one closest to Atwood listed first.
    • Trenton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trenton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
      • Trenton is located in Hitchcock County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenton <2>
    • Stratton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratton
      • Stratton is located in Hitchcock County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stratton <2>
    • Culbertson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Atwood ...

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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Atwood.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Atwood. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Atwood and those printed in the larger area surrounding Atwood.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Atwood.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Atwood:

Cemeteries Near Atwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Atwood.

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

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

  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Blakeman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blakeman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blakeman Cemetery
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
  • Immanuel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
  • Hamper Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamper Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • St. Cyril Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Cyril Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Cyril Cemetery
  • Enterprise Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enterprise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enterprise Cemetery
  • Chardon Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chardon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chardon Cemetery
  • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
  • Covenant Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covenant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covenant Cemetery
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Continue List   (39 more) ...
    • Swedish Baptist Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swedish Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swedish Baptist Cemetery
    • Achilles Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Achilles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Achilles Cemetery
    • Swedish Lutheran Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swedish Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swedish Lutheran 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Atwood had a population of 450 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Atwood had a population of 1,208 people.

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

  • Blakeman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blakeman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakeman
    • Blakeman is located in Rawlins County
  • Ludell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludell
    • Ludell is located in Rawlins County
  • Beardsley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beardsley
    • Beardsley is located in Rawlins County
  • Chardon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chardon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chardon
    • Chardon is located in Rawlins County
  • Achilles
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Achilles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achilles
    • Achilles is located in Rawlins County
  • Herndon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herndon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
    • Herndon is located in Rawlins County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
  • Cornell ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornell
    • Cornell is located in Hitchcock County (NE)
  • McDonald
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDonald have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
    • McDonald is located in Rawlins County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Traer
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Traer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Traer
    • Traer is located in Decatur County
  • Stratton
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratton
    • Stratton is located in Hitchcock County (NE)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stratton <2>
  • Trenton
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trenton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
    • Trenton is located in Hitchcock County (NE)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenton <2>
  • Bird City
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Gem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gem
      • Gem is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Oberlin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oberlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oberlin
      • Oberlin is located in Decatur County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oberlin <2>
    • Cedar Bluffs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Bluffs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluffs
      • Cedar Bluffs is located in Decatur County

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

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

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Atwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Atwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8103, Longitude: -101.0419       In this case, the coordinates for Atwood have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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 Atwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024