RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Indiana >> Washington County >> Smedley >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Indiana

The Commemorative Quarter for Indiana





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 Smedley (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 Smedley. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Smedley is located in Washington County.

To see how the shape of Indiana'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: Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, Orange & Scott.

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Smedley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Campbellsburg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Claysville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claysville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claysville
      • Claysville is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Claysville
      • From Smedley to Claysville
    • Saltillo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saltillo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
      • Saltillo is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Salem
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Livonia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
      • Livonia is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Kossuth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kossuth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
      • Kossuth is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kossuth
      • From Smedley to Kossuth
    • Plattsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Harristown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harristown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harristown
      • Harristown is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harristown
      • From Smedley to Harristown
    • Hardinsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • South Boston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Fredericksburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Washington County
      • Estimated population in 2013: 84 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <1>
    • New Pekin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Pekin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Pekin
      • New Pekin is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,392 people
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Borden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • New Providence
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Providence came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
      • New Providence is located in Clark County
    • Broom Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Broom Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broom Hill
      • Broom Hill is located in Clark County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Broom Hill
      • From Smedley to Broom Hill
    • Underwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
      • Underwood is located in Clark County
    • Starlight
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Henryville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Wilson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Memphis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
      • Memphis is located in Clark County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Memphis <1>
    • Bennettsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Slatecut
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slatecut have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slatecut
      • Slatecut is located in Clark County
    • Sellersburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sellersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellersburg
      • Sellersburg is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,047 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sellersburg <1>
    • Speed
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Crawford County
  • Dubois County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Norton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Hillham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Floyd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Greenville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
      • Greenville is located in Floyd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,115 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenville <1>
    • Galena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galena have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galena
      • Galena is located in Floyd County
    • Georgetown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Floyds Knobs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Harrison County
  • Jackson County
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Bono
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bono. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bono
      • Bono is located in Lawrence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bono
      • From Smedley to Bono
    • Fort Ritner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Stonington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tunnelton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnelton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnelton
      • Tunnelton is located in Lawrence County
    • Lawrenceport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Spring Mill Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Mill Village
      • Spring Mill Village is located in Lawrence County
    • Leesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Mitchell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Crawford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Erie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Erie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
      • Erie is located in Lawrence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Erie
      • From Smedley to Erie
    • Georgia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bedford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Martin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Mount Olive
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Olive. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
      • Mount Olive is located in Martin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Olive
      • From Smedley to Mount Olive
    • Lacy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Orange County
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smedley, with the one closest to Smedley listed first.
    • Austin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Marshfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marshfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
      • Marshfield is located in Scott County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marshfield
      • From Smedley to Marshfield
    • Scottsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
      • Scottsburg is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,703 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottsburg <1>
    • Albion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Goshen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Blocher
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Smedley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smedley.

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

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

  • Old Smedley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Smedley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Smedley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Philadelphia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Philadelphia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Philadelphia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coggswell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coggswell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coggswell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Covenanter Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covenanter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covenanter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Freedom Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Freedom Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Freedom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Freed Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Freed Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Freed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trimble Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hall Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (303 more) ...
    • Becks Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Becks Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Becks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Blue River Hicksite Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue River Hicksite Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blue River Hicksite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Nicholson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicholson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nicholson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Smedley had a population of 20 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Hitchcock
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitchcock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitchcock
    • Hitchcock is located in Washington County
  • Campbellsburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Claysville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claysville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claysville
    • Claysville is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Claysville
    • From Smedley to Claysville
  • Rush Creek Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rush Creek Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush Creek Valley
    • Rush Creek Valley is located in Washington County
  • Livonia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livonia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
    • Livonia is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
  • Salem
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Bromer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Kossuth
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kossuth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
    • Kossuth is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Kossuth
    • From Smedley to Kossuth
  • Bono
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bono. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bono
    • Bono is located in Lawrence County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bono
    • From Smedley to Bono
  • Leipsic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Canton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
    • Canton is located in Washington County
  • Syria
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syria
    • Syria is located in Orange County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Stampers Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stampers Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stampers Creek
      • Stampers Creek is located in Orange County
    • Fort Ritner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Harristown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harristown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harristown
      • Harristown is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harristown
      • From Smedley to Harristown

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

Newspapers Published in Smedley ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smedley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smedley, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smedley.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Smedley:

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

The official website for Washington County: www.washingtoncountyindiana.com/

The official website for State of Indiana: https://www.in.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>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>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.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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.
<6>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 Smedley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Smedley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smedley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6320, Longitude: -86.2158       In this case, the coordinates for Smedley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

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.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025