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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 Homer (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 Homer. 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 and 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.

Homer is located in Russell 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 Russell County: Barton, Ellis, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Osborne, Rooks & Rush.

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

  • Russell County     (The home county of Homer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Homer, with the one closest to Homer listed first.
    • Russell
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bunker Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunker Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
      • Bunker Hill is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunker Hill <1>
    • Balta ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Balta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balta
      • Balta is located in Russell County
    • Dorrance
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dorrance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorrance
      • Dorrance is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dorrance <1>
    • Milberger
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milberger
      • Milberger is located in Russell County
    • Gorham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorham
      • Gorham is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorham <1>
    • Luray
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
      • Luray is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Waldo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
      • Waldo is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
      • Former name for Waldo:
      • Pleasant Run
    • Paradise
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
      • Paradise is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Lucas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Barton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Homer, with the one closest to Homer listed first.
    • Susank
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Susank have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susank
      • Susank is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
    • Dubuque ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuque
      • Dubuque is located in Barton County
    • Millard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
      • Millard is located in Barton County
    • Beaver
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
      • Beaver is located in Barton County
    • Galatia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galatia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galatia
      • Galatia is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
    • Odin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
      • Odin is located in Barton County
    • Boyd ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Barton County
    • Hoisington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Olmitz
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Redwing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redwing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwing
      • Redwing is located in Barton County
    • South Hoisington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hoisington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hoisington
      • South Hoisington is located in Barton County
    • Claflin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Homer, with the one closest to Homer listed first.
    • Walker
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
      • Walker is located in Ellis County
    • Victoria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
      • Victoria is located in Ellis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,215 people
    • Emmeram
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emmeram have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmeram
      • Emmeram is located in Ellis County
    • Pfeifer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pfeifer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pfeifer
      • Pfeifer is located in Ellis County
    • Catharine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catharine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catharine
      • Catharine is located in Ellis County
      • Catharine has also been known as:
      • Catherine
    • Munjor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munjor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munjor
      • Munjor is located in Ellis County
    • Hays
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays
      • Hays is located in Ellis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,829 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hays <1>
    • Schoenchen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schoenchen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schoenchen
      • Schoenchen is located in Ellis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
  • Ellsworth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Homer, with the one closest to Homer listed first.
    • Wilson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Ellsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
    • Holyrood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holyrood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holyrood
      • Holyrood is located in Ellsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holyrood <1>
  • Lincoln County
    • Sylvan Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Grove
      • Sylvan Grove is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
      • Sylvan Grove has also been known as:
      • Sylvan Grove Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylvan Grove <1>
  • Osborne County
    • Natoma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natoma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
      • Natoma is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natoma <1>
  • Rooks County
    • Codell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Codell
      • Codell is located in Rooks County
      • Former name for Codell:
      • Florreyville
  • Rush County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Homer, with the one closest to Homer listed first.
    • Loretta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretta
      • Loretta is located in Rush County
      • Former names for Loretta:
      • Illinois
      • Marienfeld
    • Otis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otis
      • Otis is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otis <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Homer ...

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 98 newspapers that have been published in the area around Homer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Homer, 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 Homer.

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 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 Homer:

Cemeteries Near Homer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Homer.

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

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

  • Bunker Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bunker Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bunker Hill Cemetery
  • Blooming Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blooming Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blooming Grove Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • Hyde Park Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hyde Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hyde Park Cemetery
  • Michaels Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Michaels Cemetery
  • Cross Plains Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cross Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cross Plains Cemetery
  • Colony Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colony Cemetery
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Milberger Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Milberger Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Milberger
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Milberger Cemetery
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Cemetery
  • Gorham Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gorham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gorham Cemetery
  • Schoenfeld Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schoenfeld Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schoenfeld Cemetery
  • Continue List   (76 more) ...
    • Schneider Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schneider Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schneider Cemetery
    • Concordia Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concordia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concordia Cemetery
    • Immanuel Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Homer had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Russell
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bunker Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunker Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
    • Bunker Hill is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunker Hill <1>
  • Dorrance
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dorrance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorrance
    • Dorrance is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dorrance <1>
  • Gorham
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorham
    • Gorham is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorham <1>
  • Walker
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
    • Walker is located in Ellis County
  • Millard
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
    • Millard is located in Barton County
  • Waldo
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
    • Waldo is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
    • Former name for Waldo:
    • Pleasant Run
  • Galatia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galatia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galatia
    • Galatia is located in Barton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
  • Wilson
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Wilson is located in Ellsworth County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
  • Luray
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
    • Luray is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
  • Fairport
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
    • Fairport is located in Russell County
  • Paradise
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
    • Paradise is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Victoria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
      • Victoria is located in Ellis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,215 people
    • Lucas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Pfeifer
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pfeifer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pfeifer
      • Pfeifer is located in Ellis County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Homer. 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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Homer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Homer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8695, Longitude: -98.7976       In this case, the coordinates for Homer have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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 Homer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024