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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 Brownville (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 Brownville. 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 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.

Brownville is located in Thomas 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 Thomas County: Decatur, Gove, Logan, Rawlins, Sheridan & Sherman.

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

  • Thomas County     (The home county of Brownville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownville, with the one closest to Brownville listed first.
    • Brewster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
      • Brewster is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brewster <2>
    • Levant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levant
      • Levant is located in Thomas County
    • Colby
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
      • Colby is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,315 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colby <2>
    • Spica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spica. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spica
      • Spica is located in Thomas County
    • Gem
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gem
      • Gem is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownville, with the one closest to Brownville listed first.
    • Winona
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
      • Winona is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona <2>
    • McAllaster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McAllaster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McAllaster
      • McAllaster is located in Logan County
    • Page City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page City
      • Page City is located in Logan County
    • Monument
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument
      • Monument is located in Logan County
    • Russell Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Springs
      • Russell Springs is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Oakley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Sherman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownville, with the one closest to Brownville listed first.
    • Edson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edson
      • Edson is located in Sherman County
    • Goodland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Caruso
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caruso. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caruso
      • Caruso is located in Sherman County
    • Ruleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruleton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruleton
      • Ruleton is located in Sherman County
  • Wallace County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownville, with the one closest to Brownville listed first.
    • Wallace
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wallace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
      • Wallace is located in Wallace County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallace <2>
    • Sharon Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon Springs
      • Sharon Springs is located in Wallace County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 769 people
      • Former name for Sharon Springs:
      • Eagle Trail
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sharon Springs <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Brownville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brownville.

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

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

  • Brownville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brownville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brownville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lava Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lava Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lava Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Winona Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winona Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winona Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Page Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Page Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Page Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brewster Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brewster Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brewster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hartzler Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hartzler Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hartzler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hollenbeck Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hollenbeck Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hollenbeck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Edison Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Summers Twp. Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Summers Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Summers Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Frerichs Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frerichs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frerichs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Monument Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monument Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monument Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Freeland Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Freeland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Freeland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Russell Springs Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russell Springs Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russell Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • North Twp. Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the North Twp. Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2454832 <4>
    • Beulah Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 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.<5>

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

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

  • Winona
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
    • Winona is located in Logan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona <2>
  • McAllaster
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McAllaster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McAllaster
    • McAllaster is located in Logan County
  • Page City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page City
    • Page City is located in Logan County
  • Brewster
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewster
    • Brewster is located in Thomas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brewster <2>
  • Edson
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edson
    • Edson is located in Sherman County
  • Levant
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levant
    • Levant is located in Thomas County
  • Monument
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument
    • Monument is located in Logan County
  • Russell Springs
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell Springs
    • Russell Springs is located in Logan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
  • Mingo
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mingo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingo
    • Mingo is located in Thomas County
  • Colby
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Colby is located in Thomas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,315 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colby <2>
  • Wallace
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wallace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
    • Wallace is located in Wallace County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallace <2>
  • Goodland
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Spica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spica. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spica
      • Spica is located in Thomas County
    • Oakley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Sharon Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon Springs
      • Sharon Springs is located in Wallace County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 769 people
      • Former name for Sharon Springs:
      • Eagle Trail
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sharon Springs <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Brownville ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brownville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brownville, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brownville.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Brownville:

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

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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 Brownville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Brownville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brownville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1861, Longitude: -101.3535       In this case, the coordinates for Brownville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025