RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Kansas >> Jewell County >> Otego >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Kansas

The Commemorative Quarter for Kansas





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 Otego (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 Otego. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Otego is located in Jewell 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 Jewell County: Cloud, Mitchell, Osborne, Republic, Smith, Nuckolls (NE) & Webster (NE).

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

  • Jewell County     (The home county of Otego)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Burr Oak
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Oak
      • Burr Oak is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Esbon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esbon
      • Esbon is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esbon <2>
    • Mankato
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Montrose
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Jewell County
      • Former name for Montrose:
      • Delta
    • Jewell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
      • Jewell is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Webber
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webber have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webber
      • Webber is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webber <2>
    • Formoso
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Formoso
      • Formoso is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Randall
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
      • Randall is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
  • Cloud County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Oneonta ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oneonta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneonta
      • Oneonta is located in Cloud County
    • Jamestown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Cawker City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cawker City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Glen Elder
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Beloit
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beloit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
      • Beloit is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,564 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beloit <2>
    • Gilbert
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
      • Gilbert is located in Mitchell County
    • Scottsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsville
      • Scottsville is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
  • Osborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Downs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Portis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portis
      • Portis is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
  • Republic County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • White Rock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for White Rock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Republic County
    • Courtland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Kackley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kackley
      • Kackley is located in Republic County
    • Republic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Republic
      • Republic is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
    • Sherdahl
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sherdahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherdahl
      • Sherdahl is located in Republic County
    • Scandia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scandia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scandia
      • Scandia is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scandia <2>
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Lebanon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Dispatch
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dispatch
      • Dispatch is located in Smith County
    • Bellaire
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellaire
      • Bellaire is located in Smith County
    • Womer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womer
      • Womer is located in Smith County
    • Smith Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Harlan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
      • Harlan is located in Smith County
    • Gaylord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Athol
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
      • Athol is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
  • Franklin County (NE)
    • Riverton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Riverton is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverton <2>
  • Nuckolls County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Superior
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
      • Superior is located in Nuckolls County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,805 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Superior <2>
    • Hardy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy
      • Hardy is located in Nuckolls County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hardy <2>
    • Nelson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Nelson is located in Nuckolls County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 442 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nelson <2>
    • Nora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
      • Nora is located in Nuckolls County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
  • Webster County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otego, with the one closest to Otego listed first.
    • Pawnee Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pawnee Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee Village
      • Pawnee Village is located in Webster County (NE)
    • Guide Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guide Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guide Rock
      • Guide Rock is located in Webster County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guide Rock <2>
    • Amboy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amboy
      • Amboy is located in Webster County (NE)
    • Red Cloud
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cowles
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cowles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowles
      • Cowles is located in Webster County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
    • Inavale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Otego ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otego.

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

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

  • Baker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Esbon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Esbon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Esbon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burr Oak Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Elizabeth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Elizabeth Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Elizabeth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
  • Oak Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prairie Home Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Teresa Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Teresa Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Teresa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • 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.
  • Continue List   (125 more) ...
    • Amity Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Salem Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • McGehee Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McGehee Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McGehee 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Otego had a population of 76 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Burr Oak
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Oak
    • Burr Oak is located in Jewell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
  • Esbon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esbon
    • Esbon is located in Jewell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esbon <2>
  • Mankato
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Northbranch
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northbranch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northbranch
    • Northbranch is located in Jewell County
  • Dentonia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dentonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dentonia
    • Dentonia is located in Jewell County
  • Ionia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ionia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ionia
    • Ionia is located in Jewell County
  • Lebanon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Jewell
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
    • Jewell is located in Jewell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Montrose
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
    • Montrose is located in Jewell County
    • Former name for Montrose:
    • Delta
  • Bostwick
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bostwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bostwick
    • Bostwick is located in Nuckolls County (NE)
  • Guide Rock
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guide Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guide Rock
    • Guide Rock is located in Webster County (NE)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guide Rock <2>
  • Cora
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Smith County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Bellaire
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellaire
      • Bellaire is located in Smith County
    • Amboy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amboy
      • Amboy is located in Webster County (NE)
    • Webber
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webber have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webber
      • Webber is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webber <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Otego ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otego.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otego, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otego.

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 helpful 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 Otego:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Otego, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Otego) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otego. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8272, Longitude: -98.3473       In this case, the coordinates for Otego have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025