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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 Longford (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 Longford. 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 Longford ...

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.

Longford has also been known as: Longford Station.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Longford is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Cloud, Dickinson, Geary, Ottawa, Riley & Washington.

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

  • Clay County     (The home county of Longford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longford, with the one closest to Longford listed first.
    • Oak Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Industry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Ladysmith
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ladysmith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladysmith
      • Ladysmith is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ladysmith
      • From Longford to Ladysmith
    • Browndale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Browndale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browndale
      • Browndale is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Browndale
      • From Longford to Browndale
    • Idana
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Idana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idana
      • Idana is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Idana
      • From Longford to Idana
    • Wakefield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Broughton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Broughton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughton
      • Broughton is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Broughton
      • From Longford to Broughton
    • Clay Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Morganville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Green
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Garfield Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oscar ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscar have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
      • Oscar is located in Clay County
    • Vining
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vining have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining
      • Vining is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Cloud County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longford, with the one closest to Longford listed first.
    • Miltonvale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Aurora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Saint Joseph
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Ames
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Huscher
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clyde
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyde have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
      • Clyde is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 647 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <2>
    • Cook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook
      • Cook is located in Cloud County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cook
      • From Longford to Cook
    • Glasco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glasco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasco
      • Glasco is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 448 people
      • Former names for Glasco:
      • Dell Ray
      • Glasgow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glasco <2>
    • Rice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Dickinson County
  • Geary County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longford, with the one closest to Longford listed first.
    • Alida
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alida. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alida
      • Alida is located in Geary County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alida
      • From Longford to Alida
    • Milford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Kansas Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Junction City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Wreford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wreford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wreford
      • Wreford is located in Geary County
    • Grandview Plaza
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview Plaza
      • Grandview Plaza is located in Geary County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,553 people
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longford, with the one closest to Longford listed first.
    • Vine Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vine Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Creek
      • Vine Creek is located in Ottawa County
      • Former name for Vine Creek:
      • Vine
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vine Creek
      • From Longford to Vine Creek
    • Ackley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wells
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Lamar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lamar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Ottawa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lamar
      • From Longford to Lamar
    • Niles
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Verdi
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bennington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lindsey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Minneapolis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Alfmil
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Brewer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewer
      • Brewer is located in Ottawa County
    • Delphos
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Culver
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Riley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longford, with the one closest to Longford listed first.
    • Bala
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lasita ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasita have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasita
      • Lasita is located in Riley County
    • Riley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Leonardville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Longford, with the one closest to Longford listed first.
    • New Cambria
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Cambria. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cambria
      • New Cambria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Cambria
      • From Longford to New Cambria
    • Kipp
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Salina
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Washington County

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

Cemeteries Near Longford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Longford.

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

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

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 in 1895, Longford had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Longford had a population of 73 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Longford ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Longford.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Longford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Longford and those printed in the larger area surrounding Longford.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Longford.

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 Longford:

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

The official website for Clay County: www.claycountyks.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 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.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Longford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Longford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1720, Longitude: -97.3293    
<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 Longford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025