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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 Halls Summit (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 Halls Summit. 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 Halls Summit ...

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.

While the name of this community is Halls Summit, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Halls Summit may originally have been Hall's Summit.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Halls Summit might be written as Hall Summit.

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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Halls Summit is located in Coffey 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 Coffey County: Allen, Anderson, Franklin, Greenwood, Lyon, Osage & Woodson.

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

  • Coffey County     (The home county of Halls Summit)
  • Allen County
  • Anderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Halls Summit, with the one closest to Halls Summit listed first.
    • Harris
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Westphalia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westphalia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Westphalia is located in Anderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
    • Central City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Central City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Anderson County
      • Former name for Central City:
      • Jerome
      • Central City has also been known as:
      • Central
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Central City
      • From Halls Summit to Central City
    • Glenlock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glenlock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenlock
      • Glenlock is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glenlock
      • From Halls Summit to Glenlock
    • Mont Ida
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Garnett
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Welda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Scipio
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Scipio. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scipio
      • Scipio is located in Anderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Scipio
      • From Halls Summit to Scipio
    • Colony
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
      • Colony is located in Anderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 424 people
    • Greeley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greeley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greeley
      • Greeley is located in Anderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greeley <3>
    • Lone Elm
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lone Elm. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Elm
      • Lone Elm is located in Anderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lone Elm
      • From Halls Summit to Lone Elm
    • Bush City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bush City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush City
      • Bush City is located in Anderson County
  • Franklin County
  • Greenwood County
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Halls Summit, with the one closest to Halls Summit listed first.
    • Hartford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
      • Hartford is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <3>
    • Neosho Rapids
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Reading
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reading have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reading
      • Reading is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reading <3>
    • Lang
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lang. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lang
      • Lang is located in Lyon County
      • Lang has also been known as:
      • Hortonville
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lang
      • From Halls Summit to Lang
    • Miller
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Emporia Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emporia Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia Junction
      • Emporia Junction is located in Lyon County
    • Emporia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Olpe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olpe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olpe
      • Olpe is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 530 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olpe <3>
    • Berkeley Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berkeley Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkeley Hills
      • Berkeley Hills is located in Lyon County
    • Admire
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Admire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Admire
      • Admire is located in Lyon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Admire <3>
  • Osage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Halls Summit, with the one closest to Halls Summit listed first.
    • Olivet
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Melvern
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvern have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvern
      • Melvern is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
      • Melvern has also been known as:
      • Melvin
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melvern <3>
    • Quenemo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lyndon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyndon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyndon
      • Lyndon is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyndon <3>
    • Barclay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Vassar
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Osage City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osage City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage City
      • Osage City is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,765 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osage City <3>
    • Peterton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peterton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterton
      • Peterton is located in Osage County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Peterton
      • From Halls Summit to Peterton
    • Burlingame
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlingame have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
      • Burlingame is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
      • Former name for Burlingame:
      • American Settlement
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlingame <3>
    • Scranton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scranton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
      • Scranton is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scranton <3>
    • Overbrook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Woodson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Halls Summit, with the one closest to Halls Summit listed first.
    • Neosho Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neosho Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Falls
      • Neosho Falls is located in Woodson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
    • Vernon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Hasty
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hasty. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
      • Hasty is located in Woodson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hasty
      • From Halls Summit to Hasty
    • Athens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Athens. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
      • Athens is located in Woodson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Athens
      • From Halls Summit to Athens
    • Piqua
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Halls Summit ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Halls Summit.

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

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

  • Halls Summit Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Prairie View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Waverly Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Waverly Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Waverly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stringtown Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stringtown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stringtown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Key West Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Key West Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Key West Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bowman & Adgate Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowman & Adgate Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowman & Adgate Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Star Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sherwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sherwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sherwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Patton Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Patton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Patton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (142 more) ...
    • Baird Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baird Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baird Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bailey Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Halls Summit had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Sharpe
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharpe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpe
    • Sharpe is located in Coffey County
  • Waverly
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Waverly is located in Coffey County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 537 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waverly <3>
  • New Strawn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ottumwa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Agricola
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agricola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agricola
    • Agricola is located in Coffey County
  • Olivet
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Burlington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Melvern
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvern have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvern
    • Melvern is located in Osage County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
    • Melvern has also been known as:
    • Melvin
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melvern <3>
  • Lebo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Harris
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Silkville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silkville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silkville
    • Silkville is located in Franklin County
    • Silkville has also been known as:
    • Boissiere Silk Farm
    • Valeton
  • Aliceville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Williamsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Arvonia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arvonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arvonia
      • Arvonia is located in Osage County
    • Westphalia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westphalia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westphalia
      • Westphalia is located in Anderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Halls Summit ...

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 90 newspapers that have been published in the area around Halls Summit.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Halls Summit. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Halls Summit and those printed in the larger area surrounding Halls Summit.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Halls Summit.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Halls Summit:

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

The official website for Coffey County: www.coffeycountyks.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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 Halls Summit, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Halls Summit) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Halls Summit. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.3469, Longitude: -95.6744    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025