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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 Kirwin (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 Kirwin. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Kirwin is located in Phillips 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 Phillips County: Graham, Norton, Rooks, Smith, Franklin (NE) & Harlan (NE).

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

  • Phillips County     (The home county of Kirwin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kirwin, with the one closest to Kirwin listed first.
    • Agra
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Glade
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Phillipsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
      • Phillipsburg is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,420 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phillipsburg <2>
    • Speed
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Speed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speed
      • Speed is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Stuttgart
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Logan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Prairie View
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Long Island
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Osborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kirwin, with the one closest to Kirwin listed first.
    • Alton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
    • Bloomington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Portis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Osborne
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Rooks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kirwin, with the one closest to Kirwin listed first.
    • Woodston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Stockton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Webster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Rooks County
  • Smith County
  • Franklin County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kirwin, with the one closest to Kirwin listed first.
    • Naponee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Bloomington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Franklin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <2>
  • Harlan County (NE)

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

Cemeteries Near Kirwin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kirwin.

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

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

  • Kirin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kirin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kirin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bohemian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohemian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohemian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Agra Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Agra Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Agra Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olive Branch Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillsdale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillsdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillsdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Edwards Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edwards Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edwards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Francis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Cedar Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Cedar Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Cedar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bow Creek Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bow Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bow Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ash Rock Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ash Rock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ash Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leasburg Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leasburg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leasburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (84 more) ...
    • Marvin Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marvin Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Marvin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Spring Branch Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Branch Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Germantown Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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 Kirwin had a population of 689 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Kirwin had a population of 154 people.

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

  • Agra
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Gretna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gretna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
    • Gretna is located in Phillips County
  • Kensington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedar
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar
    • Cedar is located in Smith County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
  • Glade
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Phillipsburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
    • Phillipsburg is located in Phillips County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,420 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phillipsburg <2>
  • Athol
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Gaylord
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Woodston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Alton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
    • Alton is located in Osborne County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
  • Stockton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Harlan
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Smith Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Stuttgart
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Reamsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamsville
      • Reamsville is located in Smith County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Kirwin ...

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 172 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kirwin.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Kirwin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Kirwin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Kirwin.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Kirwin.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Kirwin:

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

The official website for Phillips County: www.phillipscounty.org/

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>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Kirwin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Kirwin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.6732, Longitude: -99.1224    
<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 Kirwin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025