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 Alden (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 Alden. 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 hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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.
Alden is located in Rice County.
To see how the shape of Kansas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rice County: Barton, Ellsworth, McPherson, Reno & Stafford.
Below are the counties that are near Alden. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Alden:
- Rice County (The home county of Alden)
- The following are listed by their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Sterling
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Raymond
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Raymond is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- Chase
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Chase is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
- Population from the 2020 Census: 429 people
- Lyons
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Saxman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Saxman is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
- Silica
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Silica is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silica
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Pollard is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Mitchell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchell is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Frederick
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Frederick is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
- Bushton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bushton is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
- Galt
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Galt is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
- Little River
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Barton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Ellinwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dartmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dartmouth is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmouth
- Claflin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Farhman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Farhman is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farhman
- Great Bend
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Odin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Odin is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
- Redwing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Redwing is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwing
- Anchorway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Anchorway is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchorway
- Kanbrick
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kanbrick is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanbrick
- Hitschmann
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hitschmann is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitschmann
- South Hoisington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- South Hoisington is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hoisington
- Ellsworth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Frantz ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Frantz is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frantz
- Lorraine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lorraine is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorraine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Holyrood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Midway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Midway is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Langley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Langley is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
- McPherson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Windom
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Windom is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Conway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Conway is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
- Inman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Reno County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Kilbourns Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Kilbourns Corner is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbourns Corner
- McVays Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- McVays Corner is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McVays Corner
- Huntsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Huntsville is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
- Charters Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Charters Corner is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charters Corner
- Nickerson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Adams Corner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Adams Corner is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
- Plevna
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Plevna is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plevna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Abbyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Abbyville is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Willowbrook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Willowbrook is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Yaggy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Yaggy is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yaggy
- Sylvia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sylvia is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
- Sylvia has also been known as:
- Anderson's Farm
- Partridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Partridge is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
- Stafford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Hudson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
- Stafford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stafford is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 920 people
- Stafford has also been known as:
- Stafford Center
- Stafford City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stafford <1>
- Seward
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Seward is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Neola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Neola is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
- Saint John
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Alden, see our County-by-County Page for Alden.
Cemeteries Near Alden ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alden.
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 Alden - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Alden covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Peace Valley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sterling Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hilltop Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- St. Mary's Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Springdale Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lyons Municipal Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Shumway Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Immanuel Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hinshaw Family Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Salem Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lutheran Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lutheran Cemetery
- The Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- Huntsville Cemetery
- Continue List (74 more) ...
- Peace Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Wild Mead Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hayes Twp. Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes Twp. Cemetery
- The Hayes Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hayes 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Alden had a population of 490 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Alden had a population of 139 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Alden, with the one closest to Alden listed first.
- Sterling
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Raymond
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Raymond is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- Chase
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Chase is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
- Population from the 2020 Census: 429 people
- Lyons
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Saxman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Saxman is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
- Huntsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Huntsville is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
- Nickerson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mitchell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchell is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Pollard is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Ellinwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Plevna
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Plevna is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plevna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Frederick
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Frederick is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Bushton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bushton is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
- Abbyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Abbyville is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Little River
(19 miles [30.6 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 Alden. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alden.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Alden ...
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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alden.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Alden. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Alden and those printed in the larger area surrounding Alden.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Alden.
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 Alden:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Rice County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barton County
- Ellsworth County
- McPherson County
- Reno County
- Stafford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kansas
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> | 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 Alden, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Alden) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |