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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 Howard (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 Howard. 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 Howard ...

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.

Prior to its current name of Howard, it was known as Howard 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Howard is located in Elk County and is the County Seat.

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 Elk County: Butler, Chautauqua, Cowley, Greenwood, Montgomery & Wilson.

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

  • Elk County     (The home county of Howard)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howard, with the one closest to Howard listed first.
    • Fiat
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fiat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
      • Fiat is located in Elk County
    • Moline
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moline
      • Moline is located in Elk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moline <2>
    • Elk Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cave Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cave Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Springs
      • Cave Springs is located in Elk County
    • Longton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longton
      • Longton is located in Elk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
      • Former name for Longton:
      • Elk Rapids
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longton <2>
    • Busby
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Busby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busby
      • Busby is located in Elk County
    • Grenola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grenola
      • Grenola is located in Elk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 187 people
    • Upola
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upola
      • Upola is located in Elk County
    • Oak Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Valley
      • Oak Valley is located in Elk County
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howard, with the one closest to Howard listed first.
    • Beaumont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Latham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
      • Latham is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Latham <2>
    • Keighley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keighley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keighley
      • Keighley is located in Butler County
    • Rosalia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howard, with the one closest to Howard listed first.
    • Hale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hale
      • Hale is located in Chautauqua County
    • Sedan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Sedan is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 992 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sedan <2>
    • Wauneta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wauneta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauneta
      • Wauneta is located in Chautauqua County
    • Peru
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peru have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
      • Peru is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
    • Cedar Vale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Vale
      • Cedar Vale is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 503 people
      • Cedar Vale has also been known as:
      • Cedar
      • Cedarvale
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Vale <2>
    • Hewins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hewins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewins
      • Hewins is located in Chautauqua County
    • Niotaze
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Niotaze have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niotaze
      • Niotaze is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
  • Cowley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howard, with the one closest to Howard listed first.
    • Cambridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
      • Cambridge is located in Cowley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
    • Atlanta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in Cowley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <2>
    • Burden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howard, with the one closest to Howard listed first.
    • Severy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severy
      • Severy is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Piedmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piedmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
      • Piedmont is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piedmont <2>
    • Fall River
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fall River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
      • Fall River is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fall River <2>
    • Climax
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Climax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
      • Climax is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Eureka
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eureka <2>
    • Reece
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reece
      • Reece is located in Greenwood County
    • Neal
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neal
      • Neal is located in Greenwood County
  • Montgomery County
    • Elk City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk City
      • Elk City is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Wilson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howard, with the one closest to Howard listed first.
    • Buxton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton
      • Buxton is located in Wilson County
    • New Albany
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Albany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Albany
      • New Albany is located in Wilson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
    • Lafontaine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafontaine
      • Lafontaine is located in Wilson County
    • Fredonia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
      • Fredonia is located in Wilson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredonia <2>
    • Coyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyville
      • Coyville is located in Wilson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
    • Middletown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Wilson County
    • Benedict
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Woodson County
    • Toronto
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toronto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toronto
      • Toronto is located in Woodson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toronto <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Howard ...

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 185 newspapers that have been published in the area around Howard.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Howard. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Howard and those printed in the larger area surrounding Howard.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Howard.

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 either 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 Howard:

Cemeteries Near Howard ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Howard.

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

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

  • Grace Lawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Moline Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Cresco Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cresco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cresco Cemetery
  • Bunker Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Elk Falls Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
  • Rural Vale Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Rural Vale Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • The Rural Vale Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Fiat Cemetery
    • Pleasant View Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rural Vale Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2273445 <4>
  • Forest Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Clear Creek Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Clear Cut Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Cut Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Cut Cemetery
  • Ames Chapel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Wade Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (103 more) ...
    • Longton Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • South Lawn Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Lawn Cemetery
    • Twin Grove Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Twin Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Twin Grove 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Howard had a population of 1,015 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Howard had a population of 600 people.

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

  • Fiat
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fiat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
    • Fiat is located in Elk County
  • Moline
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moline
    • Moline is located in Elk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moline <2>
  • Elk Falls
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cave Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cave Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Springs
    • Cave Springs is located in Elk County
  • Severy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severy
    • Severy is located in Greenwood County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
  • Longton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longton
    • Longton is located in Elk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
    • Former name for Longton:
    • Elk Rapids
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longton <2>
  • Busby
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Busby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busby
    • Busby is located in Elk County
  • Piedmont
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piedmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
    • Piedmont is located in Greenwood County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piedmont <2>
  • Grenola
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grenola
    • Grenola is located in Elk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 187 people
  • Upola
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upola
    • Upola is located in Elk County
  • Oak Valley
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Valley
    • Oak Valley is located in Elk County
  • Fall River
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fall River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
    • Fall River is located in Greenwood County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fall River <2>
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Climax
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Climax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
      • Climax is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Buxton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton
      • Buxton is located in Wilson County
    • Grafton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grafton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
      • Grafton is located in Chautauqua County

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

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Howard) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Howard. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4690, Longitude: -96.2637    
<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>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.
<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 Howard, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024