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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 Luray (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 Luray. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

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 north 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.

Luray is located in Russell 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 Russell County: Barton, Ellis, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Osborne, Rooks & Rush.

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

  • Russell County     (The home county of Luray)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
    • Waldo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
      • Waldo is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
      • Former name for Waldo:
      • Pleasant Run
    • Lucas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Paradise
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
      • Paradise is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
    • Bunker Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunker Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
      • Bunker Hill is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunker Hill <1>
    • Russell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorrance
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dorrance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorrance
      • Dorrance is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dorrance <1>
    • Balta ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Balta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balta
      • Balta is located in Russell County
    • Gorham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorham
      • Gorham is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gorham <1>
    • Milberger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milberger
      • Milberger is located in Russell County
  • Barton County
    • Dubuque ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dubuque
      • Dubuque is located in Barton County
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
    • Emmeram
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmeram
      • Emmeram is located in Ellis County
    • Walker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walker have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
      • Walker is located in Ellis County
    • Turkville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turkville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkville
      • Turkville is located in Ellis County
    • Catharine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catharine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catharine
      • Catharine is located in Ellis County
      • Catharine has also been known as:
      • Catherine
    • Victoria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
      • Victoria is located in Ellis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,215 people
  • Ellsworth County
    • Wilson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Ellsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
    • Sylvan Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Grove
      • Sylvan Grove is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
      • Sylvan Grove has also been known as:
      • Sylvan Grove Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylvan Grove <1>
    • Denmark
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
      • Denmark is located in Lincoln County
    • Lincoln Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lincoln Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Center
      • Lincoln Center is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,189 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lincoln Center <1>
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
    • Hunter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
      • Hunter is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hunter <1>
    • Tipton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Cawker City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cawker City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cawker City
      • Cawker City is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 426 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cawker City <1>
  • Osborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Luray, with the one closest to Luray listed first.
    • Natoma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natoma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
      • Natoma is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natoma <1>
    • Osborne
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
      • Osborne is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,280 people
      • Osborne has also been known as:
      • Peru
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osborne <1>
    • Bloomington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
      • Bloomington is located in Osborne County
    • Alton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Downs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Rooks County
    • Codell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Codell
      • Codell is located in Rooks County
      • Former name for Codell:
      • Florreyville

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Luray ...

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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Luray.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 professional and volunteer 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 Luray:

Cemeteries Near Luray ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Luray.

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

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

  • Luray Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Grand Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Amherst Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Vincent Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vincent Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vincent Cemetery
  • Cheyenne Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cheyenne Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cheyenne Cemetery
  • Potterville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Potterville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Potterville Cemetery
  • Lucas Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Delhi Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Delhi Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the south of Lucas.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Delhi Cemetery
  • Cole Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cole Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cole Cemetery
  • Cedar Bluff Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Bluff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Bluff Cemetery
  • Victor Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Victor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Victor Cemetery
  • Covert Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covert Cemetery
  • Continue List   (87 more) ...
    • Mt. Herman Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Rosette Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosette Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosette Cemetery
    • Elm Creek 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, Luray had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Luray had a population of 182 people.

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

  • Vincent
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vincent have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
    • Vincent is located in Osborne County
  • Cheyenne
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheyenne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheyenne
    • Cheyenne is located in Osborne County
    • Cheyenne has also been known as:
    • Cheyenne City
  • Waldo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldo
    • Waldo is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
    • Former name for Waldo:
    • Pleasant Run
  • Lucas
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Paradise
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
    • Paradise is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 48 people
  • Covert
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covert have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covert
    • Covert is located in Osborne County
  • Bunker Hill
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunker Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
    • Bunker Hill is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunker Hill <1>
  • Russell
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Homer
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
    • Homer is located in Russell County
  • Sylvan Grove
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvan Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Grove
    • Sylvan Grove is located in Lincoln County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
    • Sylvan Grove has also been known as:
    • Sylvan Grove Station
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylvan Grove <1>
  • Fairport
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
    • Fairport is located in Russell County
  • Natoma
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natoma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natoma
    • Natoma is located in Osborne County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natoma <1>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Dorrance
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dorrance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorrance
      • Dorrance is located in Russell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dorrance <1>
    • Tipton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Denmark
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
      • Denmark is located in Lincoln County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Luray. 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- Luray) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Luray. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1145, Longitude: -98.6920    
<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 Luray, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Dec 2024