RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Kansas >> Sedgwick County >> Bellaire >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Bellaire (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 Bellaire. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Bellaire is located in Sedgwick 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 Sedgwick County: Butler, Cowley, Harvey, Kingman, Reno & Sumner.

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

  • Sedgwick County     (The home county of Bellaire)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Bel Aire
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Kechi
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Kechi is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kechi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,109 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kechi <1>
    • Greenwich
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Greenwich is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
    • Wichita Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Wichita Heights is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wichita Heights
    • Park City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Eastborough
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Eastborough is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastborough
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
    • Cow Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cow Town is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cow Town
    • Wichita
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Valley Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Maize
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Maize is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maize
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maize <1>
    • Oatville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oatville is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatville
    • Westlink Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Westlink Village is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlink Village
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Sunset Acres
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Sunset Acres is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Acres
    • Benton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Andover
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Andover is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,672 people
      • Andover has also been known as:
      • Cloud City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Andover <1>
    • Prairie Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Prairie Village is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Village
    • Lorena
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Lorena is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorena
    • Towanda
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Whitewater
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rose Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Salter
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Salter is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salter
    • Augusta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Brainerd
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brainerd is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainerd
    • Midian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Midian is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midian
  • Cowley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Udall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Harvey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Sedgwick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Annelly
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Annelly is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annelly
    • Putnam
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Putnam is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam
    • McLains
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • McLains is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLains
    • McGraw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • McGraw is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGraw
    • Van Arsdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Van Arsdale is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Arsdale
    • Newton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Halstead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Newton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Walton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Patterson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Patterson is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
    • Paxton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Paxton is located in Harvey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Peabody
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Peabody is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peabody
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,079 people
      • Former name for Peabody:
      • Coneburgh
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peabody <1>
    • Burns
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Burns is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
  • Reno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Saint Joe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Saint Joe is located in Reno County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joe
    • Haven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Sumner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Belle Plaine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Millerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Millerton is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Cicero
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Cicero is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicero
    • Anson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Anson is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson

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

Cemeteries Near Bellaire ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bellaire.

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 Bellaire - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bellaire covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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>

While we didn't find Bellaire in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bellaire.

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

  • Tolerville
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Tolerville is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolerville
  • Kechi
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Kechi is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kechi
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,109 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kechi <1>
  • Minneha
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Minneha is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneha
  • Greenwich
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenwich is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
  • Wichita Heights
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Wichita Heights is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wichita Heights
  • Wichita
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunnydale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Sunnydale is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnydale
  • Valley Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Andover
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Andover is located in Butler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,672 people
    • Andover has also been known as:
    • Cloud City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Andover <1>
  • Benton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Furley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Furley is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furley
  • Maize
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Maize is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maize
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,267 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maize <1>
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Oatville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oatville is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatville
    • Lorena
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Lorena is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorena
    • Sedgwick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Bellaire ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bellaire.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bellaire, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bellaire.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Bellaire:

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 Bellaire, 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- Bellaire) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.