RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Kansas >> Ness County >> Ransom >> 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 Ransom (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 Ransom. 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.

Name Variations for Ransom ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Other variations include: Odgensburg and Ogdenburg.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

Ransom is located in Ness 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 Ness County: Ellis, Gove, Hodgeman, Lane, Pawnee, Rush & Trego.

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

  • Ness County     (The home county of Ransom)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ransom, with the one closest to Ransom listed first.
    • Arnold
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Ness County
    • Brownell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Ness City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Utica
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Laird
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laird have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laird
      • Laird is located in Ness County
    • Bazine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bazine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazine
      • Bazine is located in Ness County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
    • Beeler
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeler
      • Beeler is located in Ness County
  • Ellis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ransom, with the one closest to Ransom listed first.
    • Ellis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Antonino
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Lane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ransom, with the one closest to Ransom listed first.
    • Alamota
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alamota have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamota
      • Alamota is located in Lane County
    • Shields
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
      • Shields is located in Lane County
    • Dighton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Rush County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ransom, with the one closest to Ransom listed first.
    • McCracken
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Alexander
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Rush County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Hargrave
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hargrave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hargrave
      • Hargrave is located in Rush County
    • Nekoma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Trego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ransom, with the one closest to Ransom listed first.
    • Trego
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trego have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trego
      • Trego is located in Trego County
      • Trego has also been known as:
      • Trego Center
      • Trego Tank
    • WaKeeney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Ogallah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogallah
      • Ogallah is located in Trego County
    • Collyer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collyer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collyer
      • Collyer is located in Trego County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ransom ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ransom.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ransom. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ransom and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ransom.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Ransom.

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 Ransom:

Cemeteries Near Ransom ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ransom.

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

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

  • Ransom Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Dagenett Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dagenett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dagenett Cemetery
  • Cyrus Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cyrus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cyrus Cemetery
  • Arnold Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arnold Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arnold Cemetery
  • Amish Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amish Cemetery
  • Prairie Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Chapel Cemetery
  • North Star Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Star Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Star Cemetery
  • Brownwell Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brownwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brownwell Cemetery
  • Vansburgh Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Utica Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Utica Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Utica Cemetery
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • Continue List   (40 more) ...
    • Chenoworth Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chenoworth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chenoworth Cemetery
    • Bazine Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bazine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bazine Cemetery
    • St. Mary's Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Cemetery

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 in 1895, Ransom had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ransom had a population of 262 people.

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

  • Brownell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Ness City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Utica
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Alanthus ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alanthus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus
    • Alanthus is located in Gove County
  • Laird
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laird have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laird
    • Laird is located in Ness County
  • Bazine
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bazine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bazine
    • Bazine is located in Ness County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
  • Beeler
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeler
    • Beeler is located in Ness County
  • McCracken
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Alamota
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alamota have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamota
    • Alamota is located in Lane County
  • Alexander
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
    • Alexander is located in Rush County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
  • Riverside
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Riverside is located in Ness County
  • Hargrave
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hargrave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hargrave
    • Hargrave is located in Rush County
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Ogallah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogallah
      • Ogallah is located in Trego County
    • WaKeeney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Shields
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
      • Shields is located in Lane County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ransom. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Ransom) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ransom. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6358, Longitude: -99.9329    
<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 Ransom, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
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: 07 Apr 2024