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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 Rome (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 Rome. 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 northwest 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 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.

Rome 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 Rome. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rome:

  • Sumner County     (The home county of Rome)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rome, with the one closest to Rome listed first.
    • Geuda Springs
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Geuda Springs is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geuda Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
    • Paton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Paton is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paton
    • Oxford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Portland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Portland is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
    • Wellington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cicero
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cicero is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicero
    • South Haven
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Belle Plaine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hunnewell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Hunnewell is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunnewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
    • Roland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Roland is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
    • Perth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Perth is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perth
    • Drury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Drury is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drury
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rome, with the one closest to Rome listed first.
    • Douglass
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Rose Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Smileyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Smileyville is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smileyville
    • Gordon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Gordon is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
  • Cowley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rome, with the one closest to Rome listed first.
    • Rainbow Bend
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Rainbow Bend is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainbow Bend
    • Hackney
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Hackney is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney
    • Tresham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Tresham is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresham
    • Moxham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Moxham is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxham
    • Kellogg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Kellogg is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
    • Arkansas City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Winfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Parkerfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Parkerfield is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkerfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
    • Dale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Dale is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
    • Akron
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Akron is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
    • Udall
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Silverdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Silverdale is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverdale
  • Sedgwick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rome, with the one closest to Rome listed first.
    • Mulvane
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Peck
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Waco
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Waco is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
    • Wego-Waco
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Wego-Waco is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wego-Waco
    • Derby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Derby is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Derby <1>
    • Clearwater
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Haysville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kay County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rome, with the one closest to Rome listed first.
    • Chilocco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Chilocco is located in Kay County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilocco
    • Newkirk
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Braman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Kildare
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Kildare is located in Kay County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kildare
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
    • Blackwell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Nardin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cross ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cross is located in Kay County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross
  • Osage County (OK)
    • Frankfort
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Frankfort is located in Osage County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort

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

Cemeteries Near Rome ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rome.

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 Rome - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rome covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Gouda Springs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Tannehill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Yeager Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeager Cemetery
    • The Yeager Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Yeager - Patterson Cemetery
  • Memorial Lawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Lolled Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Work Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Oxford Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (94 more) ...
    • Mt. Hope Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hope Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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 Rome had a population of 82 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Hackney
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Hackney is located in Cowley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackney
  • Geuda Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Geuda Springs is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geuda Springs
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
  • Tresham
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Tresham is located in Cowley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresham
  • Oxford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • 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>
  • Ashton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ashton is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
  • Kellogg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Kellogg is located in Cowley County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
  • Arkansas City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Portland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Portland is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
  • Winfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Dalton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Dalton is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
  • Whitman
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Whitman is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitman
  • Chilocco
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Chilocco is located in Kay County (OK)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilocco
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Akron
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Akron is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
    • Silverdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Silverdale is located in Cowley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverdale
    • Udall
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Rome ...

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 149 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rome.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rome, 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 Rome.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Rome:

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 Rome, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rome) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.