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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.

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

For example, a typical abbreviation for Rocky Ford: Rocky Frd.

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 southwest 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 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.

Rocky Ford is located in Riley 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 Riley County: Clay, Geary, Marshall, Nemaha, Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee & Washington.

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:

  • Riley 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.
    • Manhattan
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Fairmont
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
      • Fairmont is located in Riley County
    • Keats
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keats
      • Keats is located in Riley County
    • Ashland ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashland came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Ashland is located in Riley County
      • Ashland has also been known as:
      • Ashland Bottoms
    • Pillsbury Crossing ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pillsbury Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury Crossing
      • Pillsbury Crossing is located in Riley County
    • Zeandale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeandale
      • Zeandale is located in Riley County
    • Ogden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Riley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
      • Riley is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 955 people
      • Former names for Riley:
      • Riley Center
      • Union
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riley <1>
    • Leonardville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardville
      • Leonardville is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
      • Leonardville has also been known as:
      • Leonard
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonardville <1>
    • Randolph
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Walsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsburg
      • Walsburg is located in Riley County
    • Bala
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bala
      • Bala is located in Riley County
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Wakefield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Green
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Broughton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Broughton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughton
      • Broughton is located in Clay County
    • Clay Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Dickinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Upland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in Dickinson County
    • Chapman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Geary County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Grandview Plaza
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview Plaza
      • Grandview Plaza is located in Geary County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,553 people
    • Milford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Junction City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wreford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wreford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wreford
      • Wreford is located in Geary County
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Irving ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Irving. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
      • Irving is located in Marshall County
    • Blue Rapids
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Rapids
      • Blue Rapids is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Rapids <1>
  • Morris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Dwight
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwight
      • Dwight is located in Morris County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 255 people
    • Skiddy ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skiddy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skiddy
      • Skiddy is located in Morris County
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Saint George
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint George have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
      • Saint George is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,017 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint George <1>
    • Olsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olsburg
      • Olsburg is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olsburg <1>
    • Louisville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisville
      • Louisville is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
      • Louisville has also been known as:
      • Louisville Springs
      • Rock City
      • Rock Creek Falls
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisville <1>
    • Fostoria
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fostoria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fostoria
      • Fostoria is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Westmoreland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wamego
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wamego have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamego
      • Wamego is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wamego <1>
    • Blaine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
      • Blaine is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Belvue
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belvue have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvue
      • Belvue is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
    • Wheaton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheaton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
      • Wheaton is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Aikins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aikins
      • Aikins is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Duluth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth
      • Duluth is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Emmett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emmett have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmett
      • Emmett is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 187 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emmett <1>
  • Wabaunsee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
    • Alma
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Wabaunsee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 776 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • McFarland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McFarland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McFarland
      • McFarland is located in Wabaunsee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
    • Paxico
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Alta Vista
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alta Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Vista
      • Alta Vista is located in Wabaunsee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alta Vista <1>
    • Vera
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera
      • Vera is located in Wabaunsee County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rocky Ford, see our County-by-County Page for 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 34 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]<5>. 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 begin with 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 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.

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 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.

  • Stillman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Stillman Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stillman Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2402992 <6>
  • Houston Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Houston Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Houston Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2401234 <6>
  • Sunset Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Cedar Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Creek Cemetery
  • Sunrise Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Valley View Memorial Garden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley View Memorial Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley View Memorial Garden
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
  • Sedalia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Thierer Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Rebekah IOOF Home Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Eureka Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Carnahan - Garrison Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (151 more) ...

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.<7>

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.

  • Manhattan
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Eureka Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Lake
    • Eureka Lake is located in Riley County
  • Keats
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keats
    • Keats is located in Riley County
  • Saint George
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint George have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
    • Saint George is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,017 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint George <1>
  • Ogden
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Olsburg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olsburg
    • Olsburg is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olsburg <1>
  • Riley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
    • Riley is located in Riley County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 955 people
    • Former names for Riley:
    • Riley Center
    • Union
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riley <1>
  • Wabaunsee
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wabaunsee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabaunsee
    • Wabaunsee is located in Wabaunsee County
  • Louisville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisville
    • Louisville is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
    • Louisville has also been known as:
    • Louisville Springs
    • Rock City
    • Rock Creek Falls
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisville <1>
  • Westmoreland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Fostoria
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fostoria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fostoria
    • Fostoria is located in Pottawatomie County
  • Wamego
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wamego have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamego
    • Wamego is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,718 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wamego <1>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Randolph
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Walsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsburg
      • Walsburg is located in Riley County
    • Leonardville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardville
      • Leonardville is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
      • Leonardville has also been known as:
      • Leonard
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonardville <1>

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.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rocky Ford. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Riley County: www.rileycountyks.gov

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/

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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<3>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.
<4>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Rocky Ford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rocky Ford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2375, Longitude: -96.5897       In this case, the coordinates for Rocky Ford have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.
<7>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024