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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 Pontiac (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 Pontiac. 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 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.

Pontiac is located in Butler 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 Butler County: Chase, Cowley, Elk, Greenwood, Harvey, Marion, Sedgwick & Sumner.

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

  • Butler County     (The home county of Pontiac)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Prospect
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prospect have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
      • Prospect is located in Butler County
    • Rosalia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Chelsea ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chelsea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
      • Chelsea is located in Butler County
    • El Dorado
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Leon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Leon is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
      • Leon has also been known as:
      • West Leon
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leon <2>
    • Keighley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keighley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keighley
      • Keighley is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keighley
      • From Pontiac to Keighley
    • Aikman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Aikman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aikman
      • Aikman is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Aikman
      • From Pontiac to Aikman
    • Pickrell Corner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickrell Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickrell Corner
      • Pickrell Corner is located in Butler County
    • Hopkins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hopkins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins
      • Hopkins is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hopkins
      • From Pontiac to Hopkins
    • Haverhill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haverhill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haverhill
      • Haverhill is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Haverhill
      • From Pontiac to Haverhill
    • Midian
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Midian. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midian
      • Midian is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Midian
      • From Pontiac to Midian
    • De Graff
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for De Graff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
      • De Graff is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to De Graff
      • From Pontiac to De Graff
    • Beaumont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Chase County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Wonsevu
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wonsevu. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonsevu
      • Wonsevu is located in Chase County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wonsevu
      • From Pontiac to Wonsevu
    • Matfield Green
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Point
      • Cedar Point is located in Chase County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26 people
  • Cowley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Atlanta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in Cowley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <2>
    • Glen Crouse
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glen Crouse. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Crouse
      • Glen Crouse is located in Cowley County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glen Crouse
      • From Pontiac to Glen Crouse
    • Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Greenwood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Ivanpah
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivanpah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanpah
      • Ivanpah is located in Greenwood County
    • Reece
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Lapland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lapland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapland
      • Lapland is located in Greenwood County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lapland
      • From Pontiac to Lapland
    • Eureka
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eureka <2>
    • Piedmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piedmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
      • Piedmont is located in Greenwood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piedmont <2>
    • Climax
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Climax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
      • Climax is located in Greenwood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Severy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Harvey County
    • Annelly
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Annelly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annelly
      • Annelly is located in Harvey County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Annelly
      • From Pontiac to Annelly
  • Marion County
    • Burns
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burns have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns
      • Burns is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
  • Sedgwick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pontiac, with the one closest to Pontiac listed first.
    • Greenwich
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
      • Greenwich is located in Sedgwick County
    • Bel Aire
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bel Aire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel Aire
      • Bel Aire is located in Sedgwick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,469 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bel Aire <2>
    • Kechi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kechi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kechi
      • Kechi is located in Sedgwick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,109 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kechi <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Pontiac ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pontiac.

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

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

  • Pontiac Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Economy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Economy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Economy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Foster Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foster Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sherman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sherman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blankenship Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blankenship Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blankenship Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Belle Vista Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belle Vista Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belle Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quito Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quito Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quito Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harmony Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harmony Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harmony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chelsea Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chelsea Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chelsea Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Lawns Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Lawns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Lawns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Butts - Wakefield Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Leon Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (94 more) ...

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 Pontiac had a population of 29 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Rosalia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Chelsea ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chelsea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
    • Chelsea is located in Butler County
  • El Dorado
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Summit
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Summit is located in Butler County
  • Leon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
    • Leon is located in Butler County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 730 people
    • Leon has also been known as:
    • West Leon
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leon <2>
  • Keighley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keighley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keighley
    • Keighley is located in Butler County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Keighley
    • From Pontiac to Keighley
  • Haverhill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haverhill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haverhill
    • Haverhill is located in Butler County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Haverhill
    • From Pontiac to Haverhill
  • Ivanpah
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivanpah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanpah
    • Ivanpah is located in Greenwood County
  • De Graff
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for De Graff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
    • De Graff is located in Butler County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to De Graff
    • From Pontiac to De Graff
  • Beaumont
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Reece
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Towanda
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Towanda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towanda
    • Towanda is located in Butler County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,446 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Towanda <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Augusta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Potwin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Latham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
      • Latham is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Latham <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Pontiac ...

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 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pontiac.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pontiac, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pontiac.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Pontiac:

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

The official website for Butler County: www.bucoks.com/

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 Pontiac, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Pontiac) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pontiac. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.8190, Longitude: -96.7162       In this case, the coordinates for Pontiac have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025