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 Olpe (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 Olpe. 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.
Olpe is located in Lyon 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 Lyon County: Chase, Coffey, Greenwood, Morris, Osage & Wabaunsee.
Below are the counties that are near Olpe. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Olpe:
- Lyon County (The home county of Olpe)
- The following are listed by their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- Emporia Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Emporia Junction is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia Junction
- Emporia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Berkeley Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Berkeley Hills is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkeley Hills
- Merrick
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Merrick is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrick
- Hartford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Neosho Rapids
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Neosho Rapids is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
- Plymouth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Plymouth is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Lang
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lang is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lang
- Lang has also been known as:
- Hortonville
- Americus
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Reading
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Admire
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Bushong
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Bushong is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
- Butler County
- Cassoday
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chase County
- The following are listed by their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- Saffordville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Saffordville is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saffordville
- Toledo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Toledo is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
- Ellinor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ellinor is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellinor
- Gladstone
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Gladstone is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Bazaar
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bazaar is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazaar
- Cottonwood Falls
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Strong City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Strong City is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strong City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
- Strong City has also been known as:
- Strong
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Strong City <1>
- Matfield Green
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Neva
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Neva is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neva
- Neva has also been known as:
- Neva Station
- Elmdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rockland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rockland is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Coffey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- Jacobs Creek Landing
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Jacobs Creek Landing is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs Creek Landing
- Gridley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Gridley is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gridley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
- Ottumwa
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Ottumwa is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottumwa
- Lebo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- New Strawn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Burlington
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Halls Summit
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Halls Summit is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Summit
- Greenwood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- Madison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lamont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hamilton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Virgil
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Virgil is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Lapland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lapland is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapland
- Neal
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Neal is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neal
- Eureka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ivanpah
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ivanpah is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanpah
- Morris County
- Dunlap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dunlap is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
- Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
- Osage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- Barclay
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Barclay is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Olivet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Olivet is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Olpe, see our County-by-County Page for Olpe.
Cemeteries Near Olpe ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Olpe.
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 Olpe - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Olpe covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Maydale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zion Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Lutheran Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Zion Lutheran Cemetery is located 12 miles [19.3 km]<2> to the south of Emporia.
- The Zion Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Zion Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #94119 <3>
- Fairview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Line Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kelley Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Blakely Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mennonite Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Chicago Mound Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (95 more) ...
- Lena Valley Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fowler Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Olpe had a population of 123 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Olpe had a population of 530 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Olpe, with the one closest to Olpe listed first.
- Madison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Emporia Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Emporia Junction is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia Junction
- Emporia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hartford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Neosho Rapids
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Neosho Rapids is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
- Lamont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Plymouth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Plymouth is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Lang
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lang is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lang
- Lang has also been known as:
- Hortonville
- Hilltop
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hilltop is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
- Toledo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Toledo is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
- Saffordville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Saffordville is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saffordville
- Ellinor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ellinor is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellinor
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Americus
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Gridley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Gridley is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gridley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
- Gladstone
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Gladstone is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Olpe. See our List of 1890's Communities around Olpe.
Newspapers Published in Olpe ...
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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Olpe.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Olpe, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Olpe.
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 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 Olpe:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Lyon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Butler County
- Chase County
- Coffey County
- Greenwood County
- Morris County
- Osage 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Olpe) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Olpe, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |