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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 Athol (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 Athol. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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.

Athol is located in Smith County.

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 Smith County: Jewell, Osborne, Phillips, Rooks, Franklin (NE) & Webster (NE).

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

  • Smith County     (The home county of Athol)
  • Jewell County
    • Esbon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esbon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esbon
      • Esbon is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esbon <1>
  • Osborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Portis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Alton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
    • Bloomington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Osborne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Downs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Phillips County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Agra
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Kirwin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Glade
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Phillipsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
      • Phillipsburg is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,420 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phillipsburg <1>
    • Speed
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Speed have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speed
      • Speed is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Stuttgart
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Rooks County
  • Franklin County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athol, with the one closest to Athol listed first.
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <1>
    • Bloomington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Riverton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Riverton is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverton <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Riverton
      • From Athol to Riverton
    • Naponee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Macon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Harlan County (NE)
  • Webster County (NE)

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

Cemeteries Near Athol ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Athol.

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

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

  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Christ Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christ Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Christ Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olive Branch Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meade Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meade Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Germantown Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cedar Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gaylord Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gaylord Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gaylord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Francis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Cedar Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Cedar Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Cedar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Agra Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Agra Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Agra Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (93 more) ...
    • Bohemian Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohemian Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohemian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      • 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.
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      • 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.

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 in 1895, Athol had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Athol had a population of 40 people.

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

  • Kensington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Cedar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar
    • Cedar is located in Smith County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
  • Smith Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Gaylord
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Agra
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Reamsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamsville
    • Reamsville is located in Smith County
  • Kirwin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Harlan
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Bellaire
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Gretna
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gretna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
    • Gretna is located in Phillips County
  • Cora
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Smith County
  • Portis
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Womer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Lebanon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Alton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Athol ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Athol.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Athol. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Athol and those printed in the larger area surrounding Athol.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Athol.

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 Athol:

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

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>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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Athol) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Athol. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7664, Longitude: -98.9206    
<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 Athol, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025