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 Riverdale (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 Riverdale. 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.
Riverdale is located in Sumner 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 Sumner County: Butler, Cowley, Harper, Kingman, Sedgwick, Grant (OK) & Kay (OK).
Below are the counties that are near Riverdale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Riverdale:
- Sumner County (The home county of Riverdale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Cicero
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cicero is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicero
- Belle Plaine
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Wellington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Anson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Anson is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Roland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Roland is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
- Millerton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Millerton is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Mayfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mayfield is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Oxford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 988 people
- Former name for Oxford:
- Hapawalla
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
- Conway Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Paton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Paton is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paton
- Perth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Perth is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perth
- Ewell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Ewell is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Rose Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Douglass
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Salter
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Salter is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salter
- Andover
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Andover is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,672 people
- Andover has also been known as:
- Cloud City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Andover <1>
- Prairie Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Prairie Village is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Village
- Gordon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gordon is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Lorena
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lorena is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorena
- Sunset Acres
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sunset Acres is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Acres
- Smileyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Smileyville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smileyville
- Bois d'Arc
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bois d'Arc is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bois d'Arc
- Augusta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bloomington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bloomington is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Cowley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Udall
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Dale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Dale is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
- Kellogg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kellogg is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
- Akron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Akron is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
- Hackney
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hackney is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney
- Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Rainbow Bend
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rainbow Bend is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow Bend
- Tresham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tresham is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresham
- Winfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Floral
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Floral is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floral
- New Salem
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- New Salem is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Moxham
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Moxham is located in Cowley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxham
- Harper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Freeport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Freeport is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
- Danville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Danville is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
- Danville has also been known as:
- Coalville
- Runnymede
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Runnymede is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
- Kingman County
- Norwich
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Sedgwick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Peck
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Waco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Waco is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
- Wego-Waco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Wego-Waco is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wego-Waco
- Mulvane
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clearwater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bayneville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bayneville is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayneville
- Haysville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Derby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Murray Gill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Murray Gill is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray Gill
- Clonmel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Clonmel is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clonmel
- Oatville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Oatville is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatville
- Viola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Riverdale, see our County-by-County Page for Riverdale.
Cemeteries Near Riverdale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Riverdale.
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 Riverdale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Riverdale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Fairview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Porter Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Belle Plaine Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Prairie Garden Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Worden Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Noel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greencastle Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Austin Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Prairie Lawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sumner Memorial Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Roll Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Littleton Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (130 more) ...
- Waco Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mulvane Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mulvane Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93165 <2>
- Clearwater Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
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 in 1895, Riverdale had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Riverdale, with the one closest to Riverdale listed first.
- Zyba
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Zyba is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zyba
- Zyba has also been known as:
- Zuba
- Zyber
- Cicero
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cicero is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicero
- Belle Plaine
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Peck
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Anson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Anson is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Wellington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Dalton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dalton is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
- Mulvane
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Waco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Waco is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
- Whitman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Whitman is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitman
- Clearwater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Millerton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Millerton is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Mayfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mayfield is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Bayneville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bayneville is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayneville
- Derby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Riverdale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Riverdale.
Newspapers Published in Riverdale ...
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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Riverdale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Riverdale, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Riverdale.
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 Riverdale:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Sumner County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Butler County
- Cowley County
- Harper County
- Kingman County
- Sedgwick 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 Riverdale, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Riverdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |