Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Forest City. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Forest City to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Forest City, please Contact Us.
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 Forest City (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 Forest City. 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 Forest City ...
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 occur.
Another variation: Forest.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Forest City. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Forest City.
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.
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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Forest City is historic, it would have been located within present day Barber 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 Barber County: Comanche, Harper, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Alfalfa (OK) & Woods (OK).
Below are the counties that are near Forest City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Forest City:
- Barber County (The home county of Forest City)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Mingona
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mingona is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
- Lake City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lake City is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Medicine Lodge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elm Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Elm Mills is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Mills
- Sun City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Deerhead
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Deerhead is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhead
- Pixley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pixley is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
- Isabel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Isabel is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Gerlane
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gerlane is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerlane
- Sharon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
- Former name for Sharon:
- Bible Valley
- Eldred ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Eldred is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
- Aetna ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Aetna is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
- Hardtner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Comanche County
- Wilmore
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wilmore is located in Comanche County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Harper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Crisfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Crisfield is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisfield
- Attica
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kingman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Nashville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Nashville is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Zenda
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cunningham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cunningham is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
- Willowdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Willowdale is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowdale
- Kiowa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Belvidere
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Belvidere is located in Kiowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvidere
- Wellsford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wellsford is located in Kiowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsford
- Haviland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pratt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Sawyer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Sawyer is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Coats
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Coats is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
- Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- Pratt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Cullison
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Cullison is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Cairo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cairo is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
- Natrona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Natrona is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
- Iuka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Iuka is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Woods County (OK)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Winchester
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Winchester is located in Woods County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Capron
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Capron is located in Woods County (OK)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capron
- Population from the 2010 Census: 23 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Forest City, see our County-by-County Page for Forest City.
Cemeteries Near Forest City ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest City.
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 Forest City - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Forest City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- John Jesse Gravesite
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Highland Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sunnyside Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lodi Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Mumford Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Isabel Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Ellenwood Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Coats Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Chinn Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fritz Family Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (41 more) ...
- East Slope Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ruddick Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Sharon Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 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.
While we didn't find Forest City in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Forest City.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
- Mingona
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mingona is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
- Lake City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lake City is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Medicine Lodge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elm Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Elm Mills is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Mills
- Sun City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Deerhead
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Deerhead is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhead
- Sawyer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Sawyer is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Coats
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Coats is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
- Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- Pixley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pixley is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
- Isabel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Isabel is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Sharon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
- Former name for Sharon:
- Bible Valley
- Springvale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Springvale is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springvale
- Springvale has also been known as:
- Springdale
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Eldred ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Eldred is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
- Nashville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Nashville is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Aetna ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Aetna is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Forest City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forest City.
Newspapers Published in Forest City ...
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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest City.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest City, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest City.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Forest City:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Barber County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Comanche County
- Harper County
- Kingman County
- Kiowa County
- Pratt County
- Woods County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kansas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Forest City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Forest City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |