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 Lancaster (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 Lancaster. 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 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.
Lancaster is located in Atchison County.
To see how the shape of Kansas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Atchison County: Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Buchanan (MO) & Platte (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Lancaster. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lancaster:
- Atchison County (The home county of Lancaster)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Farmington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Farmington is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Monrovia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Monrovia is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monrovia
- Goodintent ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Goodintent is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodintent
- Huron
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Huron is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
- Effingham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cummings
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cummings is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummings
- Atchison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Muscotah
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Muscotah is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscotah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
- Potter
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Potter is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
- Arrington
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Arrington is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrington
- Arrington has also been known as:
- Arrington Mineral Springs
- Arrington Springs
- Port Williams
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Port Williams is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Williams
- Port Williams has also been known as:
- Williamsport
- Oak Mills
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Mills is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Mills
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Everest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Horton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Willis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Willis is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
- Robinson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Robinson is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Baker ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Baker is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Mercier
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Mercier is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercier
- Powhattan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Powhattan is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhattan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
- Hiawatha
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Padonia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Padonia is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padonia
- Fairview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hamlin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hamlin is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
- Hamlin has also been known as:
- Hamilton
- Sun Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sun Springs is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Springs
- Doniphan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Purcell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Purcell is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Denton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Doniphan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Doniphan is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doniphan
- Petersburgh ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Petersburgh is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburgh
- Severance
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Severance is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severance
- Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
- Bendena
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bendena is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bendena
- Leona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Leona is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leona
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Brenner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Brenner is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brenner
- Moray
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Moray is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moray
- Troy
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Troy is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 946 people
- Fanning
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fanning is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanning
- Highland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Larkinburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Larkinburg is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkinburg
- Whiting
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Whiting is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiting
- Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
- Denison
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Netawaka
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Netawaka is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Netawaka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Birmingham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Birmingham is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Holton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Mayetta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Circleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hoyt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Nortonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Half Mound
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Half Mound is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Mound
- Boyle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Boyle is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyle
- Winchester
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Valley Falls
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Falls is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,152 people
- Valley Falls has also been known as:
- Sautrelle
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley Falls <1>
- Dunavant
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dunavant is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
- Lake Shore
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lake Shore is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore
- Oskaloosa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Ozawkie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Rock Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rock Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Indian Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Indian Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Ridge
- McLouth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Leavenworth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Easton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Easton is located in Leavenworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 256 people
- Former name for Easton:
- Eastin
- Lowemont
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lowemont is located in Leavenworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowemont
- Kickapoo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kickapoo is located in Leavenworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickapoo
- Springdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Springdale is located in Leavenworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
- Leavenworth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jarbalo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jarbalo is located in Leavenworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarbalo
- Bain City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bain City is located in Leavenworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bain City
- Lansing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Nemaha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Wetmore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Granada
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Granada is located in Nemaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granada
- Granada has also been known as:
- Pleasant Point
- Pleasant Spring
- Capioma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Capioma is located in Nemaha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capioma
- Andrew County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Nodaway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Nodaway is located in Andrew County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nodaway
- Amazonia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Amazonia is located in Andrew County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amazonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
- Buchanan County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Lewis and Clark Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lewis and Clark Village is located in Buchanan County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis and Clark Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Rushville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- De Kalb
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- De Kalb is located in Buchanan County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Faucett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Willow Brook
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Willow Brook is located in Buchanan County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Brook
- Matney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Matney is located in Buchanan County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
- Saint Joseph
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Agency
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Saxton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Saxton is located in Buchanan County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxton
- Holt County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Forbes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Forbes is located in Holt County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbes
- Forest City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Oregon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Platte County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Sugar Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Sugar Lake is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Lake
- Iatan
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Iatan is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iatan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
- Weston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Woodruff
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Woodruff is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodruff
- West Platte
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Platte is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Platte
- Dearborn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Stillings
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stillings is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stillings
- East Leavenworth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- East Leavenworth is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leavenworth
- Camden Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Tracy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tracy is located in Platte County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tracy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lancaster, see our County-by-County Page for Lancaster.
Cemeteries Near Lancaster ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lancaster.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Lancaster - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lancaster covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Lancaster Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Old Huron Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Monrovia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Alderson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Robinson Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pardee Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Camp Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Louis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Anns Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Effingham Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chain Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (245 more) ...
- Forest Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Anderson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Lancaster had a population of 238 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lancaster had a population of 282 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lancaster, with the one closest to Lancaster listed first.
- Farmington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Farmington is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Shannon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shannon is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon
- Monrovia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Monrovia is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monrovia
- Huron
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Huron is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
- Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
- Goodintent ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Goodintent is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodintent
- Effingham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Parnell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Parnell is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
- Purcell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Purcell is located in Doniphan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Cummings
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cummings is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cummings
- Hawthorne
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hawthorne is located in Atchison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne
- Atchison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Everest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Nortonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Winthrop
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Winthrop is located in Buchanan County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop
- Denton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lancaster. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lancaster.
Newspapers Published in Lancaster ...
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 141 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lancaster.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lancaster, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lancaster.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Lancaster:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Atchison County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Brown County
- Doniphan County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Leavenworth County
- Nemaha County
- Andrew County
- Buchanan County
- Holt County
- Platte County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kansas
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 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. |
| <3> | 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 Lancaster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Lancaster) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |