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 Natoma (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 Natoma. 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.

Natoma is located in Osborne 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 Osborne County: Ellis, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Rooks, Russell & Smith.

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

• Osborne County     (The home county of Natoma)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Natoma, with the one closest to Natoma listed first.
  • Alton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • 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
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
    • Bloomington is located in Osborne County
  • Osborne
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • 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 <2>
• Ellis County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Natoma, with the one closest to Natoma listed first.
  • Turkville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Turkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkville
    • Turkville is located in Ellis County
  • Emmeram
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmeram
    • Emmeram is located in Ellis County
  • Catharine
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catharine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Walker
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
    • Walker is located in Ellis County
  • Victoria
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Hays
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays
    • Hays is located in Ellis County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,829 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hays <2>
  • Toulon
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toulon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toulon
    • Toulon is located in Ellis County
  • Yocemento
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yocemento have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yocemento
    • Yocemento is located in Ellis County
  • Munjor
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munjor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munjor
    • Munjor is located in Ellis County
  • Hog Back
    (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hog Back. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hog Back
    • Hog Back is located in Ellis County
• Rooks County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Natoma, with the one closest to Natoma listed first.
  • Codell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Codell
    • Codell is located in Rooks County
    • Former name for Codell:
    • Florreyville
  • Plainville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
    • Plainville is located in Rooks County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,768 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainville <2>
  • Woodston
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodston
    • Woodston is located in Rooks County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Woodston has also been known as:
    • Woodston Saw
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodston <2>
  • Stockton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
    • Stockton is located in Rooks County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,234 people
    • Former name for Stockton:
    • Stocktown
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <2>
  • Zurich
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zurich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zurich
    • Zurich is located in Rooks County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
  • Webster
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Palco
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palco
    • Palco is located in Rooks County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
• Russell County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Natoma, with the one closest to Natoma listed first.
  • Paradise
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Waldo
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Luray
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
    • Luray is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
  • Balta ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Balta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balta
    • Balta is located in Russell County
  • Gorham
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Russell
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Russell is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,383 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Russell <2>
  • Lucas
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas
    • Lucas is located in Russell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lucas <2>
  • Bunker Hill
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunker Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Natoma ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Natoma.

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

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

• Naomi Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Naomi Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Naomi Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Mt. Herman Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Herman Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93118 <4>
• Lutheran Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Conger East Paradise Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Conger East Paradise Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Conger East Paradise Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<5> to the west of Codell.
  • The Conger East Paradise Cemetery has also been known as:
  • Conger Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #92230 <4>
• Aurora Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aurora Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aurora Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• IXL Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IXL Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IXL Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Round Mound Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Round Mound Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Round Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Shiloh Cemetery
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
  • To give a relative sense of its location, the Shiloh Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<5> to the southwest of Codell.
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93779 <4>
• Norman Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norman Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Fairport Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairport Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairport Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Chalk Mound Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chalk Mound Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chalk Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Victor Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Victor Cemetery
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Victor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
• Continue List   (74 more) ...
  • Center Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Paradise Center Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paradise Center Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Paradise Center Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<5> to the southeast of Codell.
    • The Paradise Center Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Codell Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1966834 <4>
  • Cedar Bluff Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Bluff Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Bluff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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, Natoma had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Natoma had a population of 296 people.

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

• Paradise
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
• Laton
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laton
  • Laton is located in Rooks County
• Codell
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Codell
  • Codell is located in Rooks County
  • Former name for Codell:
  • Florreyville
• Fairport
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
  • Fairport is located in Russell County
• Waldo
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • 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
• Turkville
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Turkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkville
  • Turkville is located in Ellis County
• Covert
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covert
  • Covert is located in Osborne County
• Plainville
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
  • Plainville is located in Rooks County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,768 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainville <2>
• Vincent
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vincent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
  • Vincent is located in Osborne County
• Woodston
  (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodston
  • Woodston is located in Rooks County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
  • Woodston has also been known as:
  • Woodston Saw
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodston <2>
• Luray
  (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
  • Luray is located in Russell County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
• Alton
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • 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
• Continue List   (15 more) ...
  • Catharine
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catharine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Cheyenne
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheyenne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Gorham
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gorham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Natoma ...

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 109 newspapers that have been published in the area around Natoma.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

• A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Natoma. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Natoma and those printed in the larger area surrounding Natoma.
• An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5> of Natoma.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Natoma:

• Websites specific to Kansas
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the Kansas Historical Society

• Pages specific to Osborne County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Ellis County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Rooks County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Russell County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for Kansas
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Kansas
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of Kansas
  • Cemeteries of Osborne County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Kansas
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of Kansas
  • Cemeteries of Osborne County

Off-the-Road Links ...

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

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