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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 Laird (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 Laird. 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 southeast 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 south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Laird is located in Ness 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 Ness County: Ellis, Gove, Hodgeman, Lane, Pawnee, Rush & Trego.

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

  • Ness County     (The home county of Laird)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird, with the one closest to Laird listed first.
    • Beeler
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeler
      • Beeler is located in Ness County
    • Ness City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Arnold
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Ness County
    • Ransom
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Utica
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bazine
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bazine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazine
      • Bazine is located in Ness County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
    • Brownell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Finney County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird, with the one closest to Laird listed first.
    • Ravanna ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravanna
      • Ravanna is located in Finney County
    • Kalvesta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalvesta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalvesta
      • Kalvesta is located in Finney County
  • Hodgeman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird, with the one closest to Laird listed first.
    • Jetmore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Hanston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanston
      • Hanston is located in Hodgeman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
  • Lane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird, with the one closest to Laird listed first.
    • Alamota
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alamota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamota
      • Alamota is located in Lane County
    • Dighton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Shields
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
      • Shields is located in Lane County
    • Amy ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amy
      • Amy is located in Lane County
      • Former name for Amy:
      • Ellen
  • Rush County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laird, with the one closest to Laird listed first.
    • Alexander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • McCracken
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCracken have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCracken
      • McCracken is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCracken <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Laird ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laird.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laird, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laird.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Laird:

Cemeteries Near Laird ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laird.

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

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

  • North Star Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Star Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Star Cemetery
  • Beeler Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beeler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beeler Cemetery
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Chenoworth Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chenoworth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chenoworth Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • St. Ignatius Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Kunze Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kunze Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kunze Cemetery
  • Prairie Chapel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Chapel Cemetery
  • Ward Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • The Ward Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dole Cemetery
    • Whipple Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ward Cemetery
  • Buda Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Dagenett Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dagenett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dagenett Cemetery
  • Arnold Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arnold Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arnold Cemetery
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Thomas Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas Cemetery
    • Utica Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Utica Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Utica Cemetery
    • Ransom Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)

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, Laird had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Beeler
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeler
    • Beeler is located in Ness County
  • Ness City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Alamota
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alamota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamota
    • Alamota is located in Lane County
  • Utica
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ransom
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Alanthus ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alanthus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus
    • Alanthus is located in Gove County
  • Riverside
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Riverside is located in Ness County
  • Bazine
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bazine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazine
    • Bazine is located in Ness County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
  • Brownell
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Dighton
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Shields
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
    • Shields is located in Lane County
  • Ravanna ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravanna
    • Ravanna is located in Finney County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Jetmore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Alexander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • McCracken
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCracken have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCracken
      • McCracken is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCracken <1>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Laird. 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Laird) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Laird. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4498, Longitude: -100.0545       In this case, the coordinates for Laird have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Laird, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024