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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Elba. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Elba to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Elba, please Contact Us.

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 Elba (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 Elba. 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 doctors and 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Elba is historic, it would have been located within present day Washington County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washington County: Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan & Yuma.

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Elba)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
    • Rago ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rago. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rago
      • Rago is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rago
      • From Elba to Rago
    • Akron
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Anton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Platner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Xenia ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Xenia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenia
      • Xenia is located in Washington County
      • Xenia has also been known as:
      • Cody
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Xenia
      • From Elba to Xenia
    • Wiladel ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wiladel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiladel
      • Wiladel is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wiladel
      • From Elba to Wiladel
    • Lindon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Harmon ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon
      • Harmon is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harmon
      • From Elba to Harmon
    • Arickaree ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arickaree. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arickaree
      • Arickaree is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Arickaree
      • From Elba to Arickaree
    • Otis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodrow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Curtis ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curtis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
      • Curtis is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Curtis
      • From Elba to Curtis
    • Calhoun ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calhoun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
      • Calhoun is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Calhoun
      • From Elba to Calhoun
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
    • Brush
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hillrose
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillrose have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillrose
      • Hillrose is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillrose <3>
  • Yuma County

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

Cemeteries Near Elba ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elba.

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

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

  • Elba Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elba Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elba Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lee Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gebaurer Family Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gebaurer Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gebaurer Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Abbott Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Abbott Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Abbott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Akron Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Akron Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Akron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lindon Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lindon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lindon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Otis Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Swan Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thurman Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thurman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thurman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Curtis Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Curtis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Curtis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hyde Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hyde Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hyde Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Hope Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hope Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Glen Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glen Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cope Community Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cope Community Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cope Community Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.

While we didn't find Elba in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Elba.

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

  • Akron
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Harmon ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon
    • Harmon is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Harmon
    • From Elba to Harmon
  • Otis
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Curtis ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curtis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
    • Curtis is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Curtis
    • From Elba to Curtis
  • Pinneo ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pinneo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinneo
    • Pinneo is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Pinneo
    • From Elba to Pinneo
  • Hyde ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hyde. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde
    • Hyde is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hyde
    • From Elba to Hyde

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

Newspapers Published in Elba ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elba.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elba, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elba.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Elba:

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Elba, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Elba) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elba. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.9486, Longitude: -103.2176       In this case, the coordinates for Elba have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025