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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 Otis (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 Otis. 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.

Otis is located in Rush 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 Rush County: Barton, Ellis, Ness, Pawnee, Russell & Trego.

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

  • Rush County     (The home county of Otis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Timken
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timken
      • Timken is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
    • Bison
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bison
      • Bison is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Loretta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretta
      • Loretta is located in Rush County
      • Former names for Loretta:
      • Illinois
      • Marienfeld
    • La Crosse
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Rush Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rush Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush Center
      • Rush Center is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rush Center <2>
    • Liebenthal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liebenthal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liebenthal
      • Liebenthal is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Hargrave
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hargrave. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hargrave
      • Hargrave is located in Rush County
    • Nekoma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nekoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nekoma
      • Nekoma is located in Rush County
    • Alexander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alexander. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • McCracken
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCracken have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCracken
      • McCracken is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCracken <2>
  • Barton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Olmitz
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Albert
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albert
      • Albert is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albert <2>
    • Galatia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galatia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galatia
      • Galatia is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
    • Boyd ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boyd. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Barton County
    • Millard
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
      • Millard is located in Barton County
    • Heizer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heizer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heizer
      • Heizer is located in Barton County
    • Stickney
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stickney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
      • Stickney is located in Barton County
    • Hoisington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Kanbrick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kanbrick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanbrick
      • Kanbrick is located in Barton County
    • South Hoisington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Hoisington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hoisington
      • South Hoisington is located in Barton County
    • Susank
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Susank have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susank
      • Susank is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
    • Dundee
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Barton County
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Pfeifer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pfeifer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pfeifer
      • Pfeifer is located in Ellis County
    • Schoenchen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schoenchen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schoenchen
      • Schoenchen is located in Ellis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Victoria
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Walker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Munjor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Toulon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Antonino
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antonino have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antonino
      • Antonino is located in Ellis County
    • Hays
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Catharine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Emmeram
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmeram
      • Emmeram is located in Ellis County
  • Pawnee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Ash Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Valley
      • Ash Valley is located in Pawnee County
    • Larned
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Ray ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
      • Ray is located in Pawnee County
    • Rozel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozel
      • Rozel is located in Pawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
  • Russell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Milberger
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milberger
      • Milberger is located in Russell County
    • Gorham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Balta ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Russell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bunker Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Stafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Radium
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radium
      • Radium is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
    • Seward
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people

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

Cemeteries Near Otis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otis.

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

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

  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • 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.
  • Svatopluk Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthony Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anthony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Baptist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baptist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Albert Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Albert Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Albert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boyle Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasantdale Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Lone Star Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Star Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Star Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bohemian Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohemian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohemian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Patterson Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Patterson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Patterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fairview Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Walnut Valley Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walnut Valley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walnut Valley 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Otis had a population of 34 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Otis had a population of 251 people.

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

  • Albert
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albert
    • Albert is located in Barton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albert <2>
  • Olmitz
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Timken
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timken
    • Timken is located in Rush County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
  • Bison
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bison
    • Bison is located in Rush County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
  • Galatia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galatia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galatia
    • Galatia is located in Barton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
  • Heizer
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heizer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heizer
    • Heizer is located in Barton County
  • Boyd ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boyd. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
    • Boyd is located in Barton County
  • Millard
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
    • Millard is located in Barton County
  • Pfeifer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pfeifer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pfeifer
    • Pfeifer is located in Ellis County
  • La Crosse
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Rush Center
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rush Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush Center
    • Rush Center is located in Rush County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rush Center <2>
  • Hoisington
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Liebenthal
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liebenthal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liebenthal
      • Liebenthal is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Dundee
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Barton County
    • Ash Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Valley
      • Ash Valley is located in Pawnee County

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

Newspapers Published in Otis ...

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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otis, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otis.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Otis:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Otis. 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>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 Otis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Otis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5349, Longitude: -99.0535       In this case, the coordinates for Otis have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025