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 Pretty Prairie (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 Pretty Prairie. 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.
Pretty Prairie is located in Reno County.
To see how the shape of Kansas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Reno County: Harvey, Kingman, McPherson, Pratt, Rice, Sedgwick & Stafford.
Below are the counties that are near Pretty Prairie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Pretty Prairie:
- Reno County (The home county of Pretty Prairie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Castleton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Castleton is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castleton
- Darlow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Darlow is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlow
- Arlington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cruppers Corner
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Cruppers Corner is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruppers Corner
- Partridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Partridge is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
- Yoder
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Elmer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Elmer is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
- Lerado
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Lerado is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lerado
- Whiteside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Whiteside is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteside
- Haven
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Joe
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Saint Joe is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joe
- Abbyville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Abbyville is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Harper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Duquoin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Duquoin is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duquoin
- Runnymede
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Runnymede is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
- Harvey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Patterson
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson is located in Harvey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Burrton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Burrton is located in Harvey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 854 people
- Paxton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Paxton is located in Harvey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
- Kingman County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Kingman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Murdock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Murdock is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
- Alameda
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Alameda is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alameda
- Penalosa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Penalosa is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penalosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
- Belmont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Belmont is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Adams
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Adams is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Rago
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rago is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rago
- Willowdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Willowdale is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowdale
- Spivey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Spivey is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spivey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
- Norwich
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cunningham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cunningham is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
- Zenda
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pratt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Preston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Preston is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Cairo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Cairo is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
- Sedgwick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Cheney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hope
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Garden Plain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Plain is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Plain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 912 people
- Andale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Goddard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Colwich
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Anness
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Anness is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anness
- Bentley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Clonmel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Clonmel is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clonmel
- Viola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coleman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Coleman is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Maize
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Stafford County
- Neola
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Neola is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
- Sumner County
- Milton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Milton is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Pretty Prairie, see our County-by-County Page for Pretty Prairie.
Cemeteries Near Pretty Prairie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pretty Prairie.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Pretty Prairie - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Pretty Prairie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Lone Star Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Schooley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Agnes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Baker Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Baker Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the southeast of Arlington.
- The Baker Cemetery has also been known as:
- Township Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2236531 <2>
- Sego Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- St. Louis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Waterloo Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Walnut Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- St. Rose Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hoosier Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (87 more) ...
- Murdock Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Arlington Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
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 Pretty Prairie had a population of 78 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Pretty Prairie had a population of 645 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Pretty Prairie, with the one closest to Pretty Prairie listed first.
- Castleton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Castleton is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castleton
- Waterloo ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Waterloo is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- Kingman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Darlow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Darlow is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlow
- Arlington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Murdock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Murdock is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
- Partridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Partridge is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
- Yoder
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Elmer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Elmer is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
- Lerado
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Lerado is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lerado
- Alameda
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Alameda is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alameda
- Haven
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Penalosa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Penalosa is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penalosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
- Cleveland ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Cleveland is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Cheney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Pretty Prairie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Pretty Prairie.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Pretty Prairie ...
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 Pretty Prairie.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Pretty Prairie. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Pretty Prairie and those printed in the larger area surrounding Pretty Prairie.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Pretty Prairie.
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 websites either 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 Pretty Prairie:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Reno County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Harper County
- Harvey County
- Kingman County
- Pratt County
- Sedgwick County
- Stafford County
- Sumner County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kansas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Pretty Prairie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Pretty Prairie, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |