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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 Fort Downer (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 Fort Downer. 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 Fort Downer ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Downer: Ft. Downer

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 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.

Fort Downer is located in Trego 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 Trego County: Ellis, Gove, Graham, Ness, Rooks, Rush & Sheridan.

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

  • Trego County     (The home county of Fort Downer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Downer, with the one closest to Fort Downer listed first.
    • Trego
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trego. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trego
      • Trego is located in Trego County
      • Trego has also been known as:
      • Trego Center
      • Trego Tank
    • WaKeeney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Collyer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collyer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collyer
      • Collyer is located in Trego County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
    • Ogallah
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogallah
      • Ogallah is located in Trego County
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Downer, with the one closest to Fort Downer listed first.
    • Ellis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Hog Back
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hog Back. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Back
      • Hog Back is located in Ellis County
    • Yocemento
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yocemento have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yocemento
      • Yocemento is located in Ellis County
  • Gove County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Downer, with the one closest to Fort Downer listed first.
    • Quinter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quinter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinter
      • Quinter is located in Gove County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,073 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quinter <2>
    • Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park
      • Park is located in Gove County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Gove City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gove City
      • Gove City is located in Gove County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
      • Gove City has also been known as:
      • Gove
  • Graham County
    • Saint Peter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Peter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Peter
      • Saint Peter is located in Graham County
  • Lane County
    • Shields
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
      • Shields is located in Lane County
  • Ness County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Downer, with the one closest to Fort Downer listed first.
    • Arnold
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Ness County
    • Ransom
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Utica
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Brownell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Laird
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laird. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laird
      • Laird is located in Ness County
    • Ness City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Beeler
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeler
      • Beeler is located in Ness County
  • Rush County
    • McCracken
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCracken have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCracken
      • McCracken is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCracken <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Fort Downer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Downer.

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

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

  • Zion Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Amish Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amish Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cyrus Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cyrus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cyrus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Arnold Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arnold Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arnold Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Christ the King Catholic Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christ the King Catholic Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Christ the King Catholic Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of WaKeeney.
    • The Christ the King Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Wakeeney Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2150688 <4>
  • Christ the King Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christ the King Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Christ the King Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Wakeeney
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Wakeeney City Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wakeeney City Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wakeeney City Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of WaKeeney.
    • The Wakeeney City Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Wakeeney Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #94009 <4>
  • Ransom Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Union Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (35 more) ...
    • Red Top Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Top Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Top Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Utica Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Utica Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Utica Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Alanthus Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alanthus Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alanthus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<5>

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

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

  • WaKeeney
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Alanthus ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alanthus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus
    • Alanthus is located in Gove County
  • Ransom
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Collyer
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collyer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collyer
    • Collyer is located in Trego County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
  • Ogallah
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogallah
    • Ogallah is located in Trego County
  • Utica
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Brownell
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Quinter
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quinter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinter
    • Quinter is located in Gove County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,073 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quinter <2>
  • Ellis
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Laird
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laird. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laird
    • Laird is located in Ness County
  • Ness City
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Hog Back
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hog Back. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Back
    • Hog Back is located in Ellis County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park
      • Park is located in Gove County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • McCracken
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCracken have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCracken
      • McCracken is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCracken <2>
    • Gove City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gove City
      • Gove City is located in Gove County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
      • Gove City has also been known as:
      • Gove

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

Newspapers Published in Fort Downer ...

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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Downer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Downer, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fort Downer.

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 Fort Downer:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Fort Downer, 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 from Point A (ie- Fort Downer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fort Downer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8408, Longitude: -99.9782       In this case, the coordinates for Fort Downer have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025