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 Rocky Ford (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 Rocky Ford. 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 Rocky Ford ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Rocky Ford: Rocky Frd.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rocky Ford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rocky Ford.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Rocky Ford is located in Greenwood 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 Greenwood County: Butler, Chase, Coffey, Elk, Lyon, Wilson & Woodson.
Below are the counties that are near Rocky Ford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rocky Ford:
- Greenwood County (The home county of Rocky Ford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Neal
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Neal is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neal
- Virgil
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Virgil is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Climax
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Climax is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- Hamilton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Eureka
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Fall River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Severy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Severy is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Lamont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lapland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lapland is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapland
- Piedmont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Reece
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Reece is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reece
- Madison
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Butler County
- Beaumont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coffey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Gridley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gridley is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gridley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
- Le Roy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Cave Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Cave Springs is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Springs
- Fiat
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Fiat is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
- Busby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Busby is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busby
- Howard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Howard is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 600 people
- Former name for Howard:
- Howard City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howard <1>
- Upola
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Upola is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upola
- Longton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Longton is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
- Former name for Longton:
- Elk Rapids
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longton <1>
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Coyville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coyville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- Middletown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Middletown is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- New Albany
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- New Albany is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Albany
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Buffalo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Buffalo is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
- Benedict Junction
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Benedict Junction is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benedict Junction
- Roper
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Roper is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
- Benedict
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fredonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Guilford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Guilford is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Rest
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rest is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rest
- South Ridge ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- South Ridge is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ridge
- Buxton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Buxton is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton
- Woodson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Toronto
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Batesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Batesville is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesville
- Yates Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rose
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Rose is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose
- Durand
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Durand is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durand
- Hasty
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hasty is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Athens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Athens is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Vernon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Vernon is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Cookville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cookville is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cookville
- North Ridge ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- North Ridge is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ridge
- Piqua
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Neosho Falls
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Neosho Falls is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rocky Ford, see our County-by-County Page for Rocky Ford.
Cemeteries Near Rocky Ford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rocky Ford.
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 Rocky Ford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rocky Ford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Rocky Ford Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Neal Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Cedar Bluff Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Toronto Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Quincy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Carlisle Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Watts Haven Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Township Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Caley Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Stewart Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Pike Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (98 more) ...
- Virgil Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Browns Chapel Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Big Sandy Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
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>
While we didn't find Rocky Ford in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rocky Ford.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Neal
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Neal is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neal
- Toronto
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Quincy
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Quincy is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Tonovay
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Tonovay is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonovay
- Batesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Batesville is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesville
- Utopia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Utopia is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- Climax
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Climax is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- Virgil
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Virgil is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Coyville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coyville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- Hamilton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Eureka
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Middletown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Middletown is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Fall River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Severy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Severy is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Hilltop
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Hilltop is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rocky Ford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rocky Ford.
Newspapers Published in Rocky Ford ...
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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rocky Ford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rocky Ford, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rocky Ford.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Rocky Ford:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Greenwood County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Butler County
- Coffey County
- Elk County
- Wilson County
- Woodson 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> | 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- Rocky Ford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Rocky Ford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |