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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 Clifton (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 Clifton. 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.

Name Variations for Clifton ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Clifton has also been known as: West Clifton.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

A Few Details for Clifton ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Clifton was founded in 1870.
  • It was incorporated in 1884.

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 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.

Clifton is primarily located in Washington County. A portion of Clifton extends into Clay 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 Washington County: Clay, Cloud, Marshall, Republic, Riley, Gage (NE), Jefferson (NE) & Thayer (NE).

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Clifton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Palmer
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Linn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linn
      • Linn is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 384 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Linn <1>
    • Haddam
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haddam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddam
      • Haddam is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Haddam has also been known as:
      • Haddam City
      • West Haddam
    • Morrowville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrowville
      • Morrowville is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Greenleaf
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
      • Greenleaf is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenleaf <1>
    • Chepstow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chepstow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepstow
      • Chepstow is located in Washington County
    • Blocker ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blocker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocker
      • Blocker is located in Washington County
    • Washington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Mahaska
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mahaska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahaska
      • Mahaska is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Vining
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vining have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining
      • Vining is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
    • Morganville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
      • Morganville is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
      • Morganville has also been known as:
      • Morgantown
    • Oscar ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
      • Oscar is located in Clay County
    • Idana
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Clay Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Green
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Broughton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Ladysmith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Oak Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
      • Oak Hill is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Longford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Wakefield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Industry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
      • Industry is located in Clay County
  • Cloud County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Clyde
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyde have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
      • Clyde is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 647 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <1>
    • Saint Joseph
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Joseph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
      • Saint Joseph is located in Cloud County
    • Ames
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Ames is located in Cloud County
    • Rice
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Rice is located in Cloud County
    • Aurora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Huscher
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huscher
      • Huscher is located in Cloud County
    • Miltonvale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Concordia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Yuma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yuma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuma
      • Yuma is located in Cloud County
    • Macyville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macyville
      • Macyville is located in Cloud County
  • Marshall County
    • Waterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Ottawa County
    • Lamar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
  • Republic County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Agenda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agenda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agenda
      • Agenda is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Cuba
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuba have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Belleville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
      • Belleville is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,841 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belleville <1>
    • Munden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munden
      • Munden is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Norway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
      • Norway is located in Republic County
    • Narka
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narka
      • Narka is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
  • Riley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • May Day
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May Day
      • May Day is located in Riley County
    • Lasita ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasita
      • Lasita is located in Riley County
    • Winkler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winkler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkler
      • Winkler is located in Riley County
    • Bala
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bala
      • Bala is located in Riley County
    • Leonardville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardville
      • Leonardville is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
      • Leonardville has also been known as:
      • Leonard
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonardville <1>
    • Walsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsburg
      • Walsburg is located in Riley County
    • Randolph
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Riley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
      • Riley is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 955 people
      • Former names for Riley:
      • Riley Center
      • Union
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riley <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Clifton ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clifton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clifton, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clifton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Clifton:

Cemeteries Near Clifton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clifton.

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

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

  • Clifton IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Riverdale Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Rusco Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
  • Parallel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Bloom Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bloom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bloom Cemetery
  • Continue List   (163 more) ...
    • Morganville Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morganville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morganville Cemetery
    • Brantford Covenant Church Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Garfield Center Mission Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)

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 Clifton had a population of 622 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Clifton had a population of 506 people.

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

  • Vining
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vining have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining
    • Vining is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Clyde
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyde have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Clyde is located in Cloud County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 647 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <1>
  • Saint Joseph
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Joseph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
    • Saint Joseph is located in Cloud County
  • Morganville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
    • Morganville is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
    • Morganville has also been known as:
    • Morgantown
  • Palmer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
    • Palmer is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
  • Ames
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Ames is located in Cloud County
  • Brantford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brantford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brantford
    • Brantford is located in Washington County
  • Strawberry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
    • Strawberry is located in Washington County
  • Linn
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linn
    • Linn is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 384 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Linn <1>
  • Agenda
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agenda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agenda
    • Agenda is located in Republic County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
  • Idana
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Rice
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
    • Rice is located in Cloud County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Aurora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Clay Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Kimeo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kimeo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimeo
      • Kimeo is located in Washington County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clifton. 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>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 from Point A (ie- Clifton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clifton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.5679, Longitude: -97.2791    
<5>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.
<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 Clifton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024