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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 Abilene (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 Abilene. 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 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 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.

Abilene is located in Dickinson 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 Dickinson County: Clay, Geary, Marion, McPherson, Morris, Ottawa & Saline.

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

  • Dickinson County     (The home county of Abilene)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Detroit
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Dickinson County
    • Enterprise
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Acme
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Dickinson County
    • Talmage
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
      • Talmage is located in Dickinson County
    • Solomon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Buckeye
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Dickinson County
    • Chapman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Navarre
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navarre have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarre
      • Navarre is located in Dickinson County
    • Holland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Dickinson County
    • Manchester
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Manchester is located in Dickinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
    • Upland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in Dickinson County
    • Carlton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
      • Carlton is located in Dickinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Dillon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
      • Dillon is located in Dickinson County
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Industry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
      • Industry is located in Clay County
    • Longford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longford
      • Longford is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
      • Longford has also been known as:
      • Longford Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longford <1>
    • Oak Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
      • Oak Hill is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Wakefield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Ladysmith
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ladysmith have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladysmith
      • Ladysmith is located in Clay County
    • Broughton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Broughton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughton
      • Broughton is located in Clay County
    • Idana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Idana have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idana
      • Idana is located in Clay County
  • Geary County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Wreford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wreford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wreford
      • Wreford is located in Geary County
    • Junction City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Grandview Plaza
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview Plaza
      • Grandview Plaza is located in Geary County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,553 people
    • Milford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Ramona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramona
      • Ramona is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
      • Ramona has also been known as:
      • Ramona Station
    • Tampa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tampa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampa
      • Tampa is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tampa <1>
    • Lost Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lost Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Springs
      • Lost Springs is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lost Springs <1>
    • Durham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Durham is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
  • McPherson County
    • Roxbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
      • Roxbury is located in McPherson County
  • Morris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Skiddy ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skiddy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skiddy
      • Skiddy is located in Morris County
    • Latimer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latimer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimer
      • Latimer is located in Morris County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
    • White City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Delavan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
      • Delavan is located in Morris County
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Niles
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
      • Niles is located in Ottawa County
    • Verdi
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdi
      • Verdi is located in Ottawa County
    • Vine Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vine Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Creek
      • Vine Creek is located in Ottawa County
      • Former name for Vine Creek:
      • Vine
    • Ackley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackley
      • Ackley is located in Ottawa County
    • Bennington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Wells
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Wells is located in Ottawa County
    • Lindsey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
      • Lindsey is located in Ottawa County
      • Lindsey has also been known as:
      • Ayersville
    • Minneapolis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Culver
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culver
      • Culver is located in Ottawa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
    • Alfmil
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfmil
      • Alfmil is located in Ottawa County
    • Lamar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Ottawa County
  • Riley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Bala
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bala
      • Bala is located in Riley County
    • Ogden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • New Cambria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Cambria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cambria
      • New Cambria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
    • Kipp
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipp
      • Kipp is located in Saline County
    • Gypsum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Salina
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Mentor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
      • Mentor is located in Saline County
    • Hallville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallville
      • Hallville is located in Saline County
    • Assaria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assaria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assaria
      • Assaria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Assaria <1>
    • Phillips Village ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillips Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Village
      • Phillips Village is located in Saline County
    • Smolan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smolan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smolan
      • Smolan is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
    • Bridgeport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Bridgeport is located in Saline County
    • Salemsborg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemsborg
      • Salemsborg is located in Saline County
    • Bavaria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bavaria
      • Bavaria is located in Saline County
      • Bavaria has also been known as:
      • Houch

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Abilene ...

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 140 newspapers that have been published in the area around Abilene.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 Abilene:

Cemeteries Near Abilene ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Abilene.

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

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

  • Abilene Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Farmington Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
  • Detroit Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Scheiller Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scheiller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scheiller Cemetery
  • Newburn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newburn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newburn Cemetery
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
  • Lutheran Cemetery #17
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery #17 have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery #17
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
  • Prairie Mound Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (122 more) ...
    • Harmony Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harmony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harmony Cemetery
    • Prairiedale Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairiedale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairiedale Cemetery
    • Belle Spring Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belle Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belle Spring 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Abilene had a population of 3,547 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Abilene had a population of 6,123 people.

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

  • Acme
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
    • Acme is located in Dickinson County
  • Enterprise
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Detroit
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
    • Detroit is located in Dickinson County
  • Talmage
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
    • Talmage is located in Dickinson County
  • Solomon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Navarre
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navarre have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarre
    • Navarre is located in Dickinson County
  • Pearl
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearl have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl
    • Pearl is located in Dickinson County
  • Chapman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Holland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
    • Holland is located in Dickinson County
  • Sutphen ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sutphen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutphen
    • Sutphen is located in Dickinson County
  • Manchester
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Manchester is located in Dickinson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
  • Niles
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
    • Niles is located in Ottawa County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Industry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
      • Industry is located in Clay County
    • New Cambria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Cambria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cambria
      • New Cambria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
    • Kipp
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipp
      • Kipp is located in Saline County

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

The official website for Abilene: www.abilenecityhall.com/

The official website for Dickinson County: www.dkcoks.com/

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.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- Abilene) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Abilene. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.9205, Longitude: -97.2139    
<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 Abilene, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024