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 Reading (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 Reading. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Reading is located in Lyon 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 Lyon County: Chase, Coffey, Greenwood, Morris, Osage & Wabaunsee.
Below are the counties that are near Reading. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Reading:
- Lyon County (The home county of Reading)
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Lang
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lang is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lang
- Lang has also been known as:
- Hortonville
- Miller
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Miller is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Neosho Rapids
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Neosho Rapids is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
- Admire
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Emporia Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Emporia Junction is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia Junction
- Allen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Allen is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Hartford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Berkeley Hills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Berkeley Hills is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkeley Hills
- Emporia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Americus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Merrick
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Merrick is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrick
- Agnes City ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Agnes City is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnes City
- Bushong
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bushong is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
- Chase County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Toledo
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Toledo is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
- Saffordville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Saffordville is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saffordville
- Ellinor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Ellinor is located in Chase County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellinor
- Coffey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Lebo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jacobs Creek Landing
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Jacobs Creek Landing is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs Creek Landing
- Ottumwa
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Ottumwa is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottumwa
- Halls Summit
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Halls Summit is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Summit
- Waverly
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Strawn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Agricola
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Agricola is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agricola
- Burlington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gridley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Gridley is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gridley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Williamsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pomona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ransomville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ransomville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransomville
- Greenwood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Lamont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Madison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Morris County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Dunlap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Dunlap is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
- Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
- Council Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Council Grove is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,100 people
- Council Grove has also been known as:
- Council
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Council Grove <1>
- Osage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Barclay
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Barclay is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Osage City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Olivet
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Olivet is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Peterton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Peterton is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterton
- Lyndon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Melvern
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Melvern is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
- Melvern has also been known as:
- Melvin
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melvern <1>
- Burlingame
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Burlingame is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
- Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
- Former name for Burlingame:
- American Settlement
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlingame <1>
- Vassar
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Scranton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Quenemo
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Quenemo is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quenemo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Quenemo has also been known as:
- Quenemo Agency
- Carbondale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Carbondale is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,347 people
- Mineral Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mineral Springs is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
- Overbrook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Shawnee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Auburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Auburn is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
- Dover
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Wabaunsee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Wilmington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Wilmington is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Harveyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Harveyville is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Eskridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Eskridge is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eskridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 502 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Reading, see our County-by-County Page for Reading.
Cemeteries Near Reading ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Reading.
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 Reading - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Reading covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Reading Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Arvonia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Barclay Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Phillips Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ivy Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill Cemetery
- The Forest Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hunter Cemetery
- Badger Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badger Creek Cemetery
- The Badger Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
- Forest Hill Cemetery South
- Stevenson Cemetery
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Hope Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Hope Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Neosho Rapids.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93132 <2>
- St. Lawrence Catholic Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (113 more) ...
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Alpine Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Rapp Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Reading had a population of 222 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Reading had a population of 225 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Reading, with the one closest to Reading listed first.
- Arvonia
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Arvonia is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arvonia
- Barclay
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Barclay is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Lang
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lang is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lang
- Lang has also been known as:
- Hortonville
- Miller
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Miller is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Lebo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Neosho Rapids
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Neosho Rapids is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
- Osage City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Olivet
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Olivet is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Admire
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Emporia Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Emporia Junction is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia Junction
- Peterton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Peterton is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterton
- Emporia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hartford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Allen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Allen is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Wilmington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Wilmington is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Reading. See our List of 1890's Communities around Reading.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Reading ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Reading.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Reading. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Reading and those printed in the larger area surrounding Reading.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Reading.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Reading:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Lyon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chase County
- Coffey County
- Franklin County
- Greenwood County
- Morris County
- Osage County
- Shawnee County
- Wabaunsee 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> | 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 Reading, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Reading) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |