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 West Franklin (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 West Franklin. 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 West Franklin ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Franklin: W. Franklin
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Franklin. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Franklin.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
West Franklin is located in Posey County.
To see how the shape of Indiana's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Posey County: Gallatin (IL), White (IL), White (IL), Gibson, Gibson, Vanderburgh, Henderson (KY) & Union (KY).
Below are the counties that are near West Franklin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Franklin:
- Posey County (The home county of West Franklin)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Caborn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Caborn is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caborn
- Bufkin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bufkin is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bufkin
- Mount Vernon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Blairsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Blairsville is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Hepburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hepburn is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepburn
- Oliver
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Oliver is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
- Hovey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hovey is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hovey
- Solitude
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Solitude is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solitude
- Springfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Springfield is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Saint Wendel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Saint Wendel is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
- Wadesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Savah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Savah is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savah
- Gibson County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Warrenton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Warrenton is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenton
- Haubstadt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Mounts
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mounts is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounts
- Fort Branch
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Owensville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Buckskin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Buckskin is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckskin
- Mackey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mackey is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
- Spencer County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Hatfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hatfield is located in Spencer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
- Eureka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Eureka is located in Spencer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Richland City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Richland City is located in Spencer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland City
- Estimated population in 2015: 407 people
- Richland City has also been known as:
- Richland
- Vanderburgh County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Cypress
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cypress is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress
- Vaughan
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Vaughan is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
- Kasson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kasson is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Evansville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Highland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Highland is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Smythe
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Smythe is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smythe
- Melody Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Melody Hill is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melody Hill
- Armstrong
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Armstrong is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Martin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Martin is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Darmstadt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Darmstadt is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darmstadt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
- McCutchanville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- McCutchanville is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCutchanville
- Inglefield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Warrick County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Stevenson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stevenson is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stevenson
- Newburgh
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Baugh City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Baugh City is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baugh City
- Chandler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Chandler is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,288 people
- Dayville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Dayville is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayville
- Elberfeld
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wheatonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wheatonville is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatonville
- Boonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Graham Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Graham Valley is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham Valley
- De Gonia Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- De Gonia Springs is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Gonia Springs
- Lynnville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gallatin County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- New Haven
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Inman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Inman is located in Gallatin County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
- Old Shawneetown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Old Shawneetown is located in Gallatin County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Shawneetown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
- Shawneetown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ridgway
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- White County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Maunie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Emma
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Phillipstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Phillipstown is located in White County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Herald
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Crossville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Calvin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Calvin is located in White County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Carmi
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Grayville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Roland is located in White County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
- Daviess County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Curdsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Curdsville is located in Daviess County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curdsville
- Birk City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Birk City is located in Daviess County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birk City
- Saint Joseph
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Joseph is located in Daviess County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- West Louisville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Henderson County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Smith Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Smith Mills is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Mills
- Henderson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- White City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- White City is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Corydon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Baskett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Baskett is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baskett
- Dixie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Dixie is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Spottsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Spottsville is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottsville
- Niagara
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Niagara is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niagara
- Robards
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bluff City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Bluff City is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Reed
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Reed is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
- Hebbardsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hebbardsville is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebbardsville
- McLean County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Beech Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elba
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elba is located in McLean County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Lemon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lemon is located in McLean County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon
- Union County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Hitesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hitesville is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitesville
- Waverly
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Uniontown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Uniontown is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
- Flournoy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Flournoy is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flournoy
- Breckinridge Center
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Breckinridge Center is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckinridge Center
- Chapman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chapman is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Morganfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Raleigh
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Raleigh is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
- Grangertown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Grangertown is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grangertown
- Sturgis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dekoven
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dekoven is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dekoven
- Sullivan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sullivan is located in Union County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
- Webster County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Poole
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Sebree
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Free Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Free Union is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Union
- Dixon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Dixon is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
- Onton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Onton is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onton
- Vanderburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Vanderburg is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanderburg
- Clay
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Clay is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,091 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clay <1>
- Lisman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lisman is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisman
- West Wheatcroft
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- West Wheatcroft is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wheatcroft
- Wheatcroft
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wheatcroft is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatcroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Slaughters
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Slaughters is located in Webster County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughters
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Franklin, see our County-by-County Page for West Franklin.
Cemeteries Near West Franklin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Franklin.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for West Franklin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Franklin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Clay Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Stroud Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Burbanks Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Calvin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Smith Mills Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fairmont Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Louis Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fernwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Putman Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Samuel Jones Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (278 more) ...
- Corydon Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Memorial Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mesker Park Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
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 West Franklin had a population of 94 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Vaughan
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Vaughan is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughan
- Cypress
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cypress is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress
- Geneva
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Geneva is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Saint Philip
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Saint Philip is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Philip
- Belknap
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Belknap is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belknap
- Caborn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Caborn is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caborn
- Henderson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lippe
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lippe is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lippe
- Weaverton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Weaverton is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaverton
- Kasson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Kasson is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Bufkin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bufkin is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bufkin
- Parkers Settlement
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Parkers Settlement is located in Posey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkers Settlement
- Continue List (20 more) ...
- Corydon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rankin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rankin is located in Henderson County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
- Evansville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Franklin. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Franklin.
Newspapers Published in West Franklin ...
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 104 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Franklin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Franklin, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Franklin.
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 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 West Franklin:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Posey County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Gibson County
- Spencer County
- Vanderburgh County
- Warrick County
- Gallatin County
- White County
- Daviess County
- Henderson County
- McLean County
- Union County
- Webster County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Indiana
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 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. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Franklin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 West Franklin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |