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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 Sweetwater (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 Sweetwater. 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.

Name Variations for Sweetwater ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Sweet Water.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Sweetwater is located in Buffalo County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Buffalo County: Adams, Custer, Dawson, Hall, Howard, Kearney, Phelps & Sherman.

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

  • Buffalo County     (The home county of Sweetwater)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Ravenna
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Poole
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poole
      • Poole is located in Buffalo County
    • Pleasanton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sartoria
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartoria
      • Sartoria is located in Buffalo County
    • Prairie Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
      • Prairie Center is located in Buffalo County
    • Amherst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Riverdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
      • Riverdale is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverdale <1>
    • Miller
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gibbon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibbon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbon
      • Gibbon is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,875 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibbon <1>
    • Buda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
      • Buda is located in Buffalo County
    • Shelton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelton
      • Shelton is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,055 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shelton <1>
    • Kearney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Odessa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Custer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Mason City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason City
      • Mason City is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason City <1>
    • Ansley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cumro ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumro
      • Cumro is located in Custer County
    • Westerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Buckeye
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Custer County
  • Dawson County
    • Sumner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Hall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Cairo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Cameron
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Hall County
    • Wood River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Alda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alda
      • Alda is located in Hall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alda <1>
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Boelus
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Howard City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard City
      • Howard City is located in Howard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 187 people
    • Nysted
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nysted
      • Nysted is located in Howard County
    • Farwell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Dannebrog
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dannebrog have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dannebrog
      • Dannebrog is located in Howard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dannebrog <1>
    • Dannevirke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dannevirke
      • Dannevirke is located in Howard County
    • Cotesfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotesfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotesfield
      • Cotesfield is located in Howard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
    • Elba
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Paul
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Kearney County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Kearney City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kearney City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney City
      • Kearney City is located in Kearney County
      • Kearney City has also been known as:
      • Dobytown
    • Valley City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley City
      • Valley City is located in Kearney County
  • Sherman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Hazard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Litchfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
      • Litchfield is located in Sherman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <1>
    • Loup City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loup City
      • Loup City is located in Sherman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
      • Loup City has also been known as:
      • Loup
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loup City <1>
    • Ashton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • North Loup City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Loup City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Loup City
      • North Loup City is located in Sherman County
  • Valley County
    • Arcadia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Sweetwater ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sweetwater.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sweetwater, 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 Sweetwater.

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 Sweetwater:

Cemeteries Near Sweetwater ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sweetwater.

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

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sweetwater had a population of 116 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Hazard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Ravenna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Pleasanton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Nantasket ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nantasket have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantasket
    • Nantasket is located in Buffalo County
  • Rockville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Litchfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
    • Litchfield is located in Sherman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <1>
  • Sartoria
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartoria
    • Sartoria is located in Buffalo County
  • Prairie Center
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
    • Prairie Center is located in Buffalo County
  • Saint Michael
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Michael have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Michael
    • Saint Michael is located in Buffalo County
  • Boelus
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Loup City
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loup City
    • Loup City is located in Sherman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
    • Loup City has also been known as:
    • Loup
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loup City <1>
  • Ashton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Amherst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Riverdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
      • Riverdale is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverdale <1>
    • Mason City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason City
      • Mason City is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason City <1>

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

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

The official website for Buffalo County: www.buffalogov.org/

The official website for State of Nebraska: www.nebraska.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>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- Sweetwater) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sweetwater. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.0470, Longitude: -99.0079    
<4>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.
<5>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 Sweetwater, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024