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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 Palco (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 Palco. 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 hospitals 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.

Palco is located in Rooks 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 Rooks County: Ellis, Graham, Osborne, Phillips, Russell, Smith & Trego.

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

  • Rooks County     (The home county of Palco)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palco, with the one closest to Palco listed first.
    • Damar
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Zurich
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zurich have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Rooks County
    • Plainville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Stockton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Codell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Woodston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palco, with the one closest to Palco listed first.
    • Turkville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Turkville
      • From Palco to Turkville
    • Ellis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hog Back
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hog Back
      • From Palco to Hog Back
    • Yocemento
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yocemento have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yocemento
      • Yocemento is located in Ellis County
    • Hays
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Catharine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Emmeram
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Graham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palco, with the one closest to Palco listed first.
    • Bogue
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue
      • Bogue is located in Graham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Bogue has also been known as:
      • Wildhorse
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bogue
      • From Palco to Bogue
    • Nicodemus
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicodemus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicodemus
      • Nicodemus is located in Graham County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nicodemus <1>
    • Hill City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
      • Hill City is located in Graham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,354 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hill City <1>
    • Roscoe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roscoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
      • Roscoe is located in Graham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roscoe
      • From Palco to Roscoe
    • Smithfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smithfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
      • Smithfield is located in Graham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Smithfield
      • From Palco to Smithfield
    • Penokee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Morland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morland
      • Morland is located in Graham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morland <1>
    • Saint Peter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Peter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Peter
      • Saint Peter is located in Graham County
  • Norton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palco, with the one closest to Palco listed first.
    • Densmore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Edmond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmond
      • Edmond is located in Norton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
      • Edmond has also been known as:
      • Edmond City
  • Osborne County
    • Natoma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • 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>
  • Phillips County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palco, with the one closest to Palco listed first.
    • Logan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Speed
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Speed have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speed
      • Speed is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
  • Trego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Palco, with the one closest to Palco listed first.
    • Ogallah
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • WaKeeney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Trego
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trego. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trego
      • Trego is located in Trego County
      • Trego has also been known as:
      • Trego Center
      • Trego Tank
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trego
      • From Palco to Trego

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

Cemeteries Near Palco ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Palco.

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

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

  • Palco Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palco Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palco Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasantview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasantview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasantview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Mound Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Redline Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redline Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redline Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zurich Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zurich Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zurich Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Morlan Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Eureka Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eureka Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eureka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Samuels Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Samuels Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Samuels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wildhorse Township Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Nicodemus Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicodemus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nicodemus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (67 more) ...
    • Fagan Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fagan Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fagan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Webster Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Webster Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Webster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Plainville Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)

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, Palco had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Palco had a population of 262 people.

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

  • Damar
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Zurich
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zurich have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
  • Bogue
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue
    • Bogue is located in Graham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
    • Bogue has also been known as:
    • Wildhorse
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bogue
    • From Palco to Bogue
  • Nicodemus
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nicodemus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicodemus
    • Nicodemus is located in Graham County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nicodemus <1>
  • Webster
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
    • Webster is located in Rooks County
  • Plainville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Hill City
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
    • Hill City is located in Graham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,354 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hill City <1>
  • Turkville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Turkville
    • From Palco to Turkville
  • Roscoe
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roscoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Roscoe is located in Graham County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Roscoe
    • From Palco to Roscoe
  • Ogallah
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Stockton
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Ellis
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Palco ...

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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Palco.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Palco. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Palco and those printed in the larger area surrounding Palco.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Palco.

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 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 Palco:

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

The official website for Rooks County: www.rookscounty.net/

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>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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Palco) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Palco. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2534, Longitude: -99.5630    
<6>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 Palco, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 13 Jul 2025