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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 Saint John (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 Saint John. 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 Saint John ...

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 Saint John: St. John

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 hospitals and 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.

Saint John is located in Stafford County and is the County Seat.

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 Stafford County: Barton, Edwards, Pawnee, Pratt, Reno & Rice.

Below are the counties that are near Saint John. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint John:

  • Stafford County     (The home county of Saint John)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Stafford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Stafford is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 920 people
      • Stafford has also been known as:
      • Stafford Center
      • Stafford City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stafford <1>
    • Hudson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Hudson is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Macksville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Seward
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
    • Radium
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radium
      • Radium is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
    • Neola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
      • Neola is located in Stafford County
  • Barton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Pawnee Rock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dundee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Barton County
    • Anchorway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchorway
      • Anchorway is located in Barton County
    • Great Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Dartmouth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmouth
      • Dartmouth is located in Barton County
    • Ellinwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellinwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellinwood
      • Ellinwood is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,932 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellinwood <1>
    • Heizer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heizer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heizer
      • Heizer is located in Barton County
  • Edwards County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Belpre
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belpre
      • Belpre is located in Edwards County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
    • Trousdale ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trousdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trousdale
      • Trousdale is located in Edwards County
    • Fellsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fellsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellsburg
      • Fellsburg is located in Edwards County
    • Lewis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
      • Lewis is located in Edwards County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewis <1>
    • Centerview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerview
      • Centerview is located in Edwards County
    • Nettleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nettleton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleton
      • Nettleton is located in Edwards County
  • Kingman County
    • Cunningham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cunningham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
      • Cunningham is located in Kingman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
  • Kiowa County
    • Wellsford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsford
      • Wellsford is located in Kiowa County
  • Pawnee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Ray ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
      • Ray is located in Pawnee County
    • Larned
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Garfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
      • Garfield is located in Pawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
  • Pratt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Byers
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byers have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byers
      • Byers is located in Pratt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
    • Iuka
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iuka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
      • Iuka is located in Pratt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Preston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Pratt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
    • Pratt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Cullison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullison
      • Cullison is located in Pratt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Cairo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
      • Cairo is located in Pratt County
  • Reno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Sylvia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvia
      • Sylvia is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
      • Sylvia has also been known as:
      • Anderson's Farm
    • Turon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turon
      • Turon is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
      • Former name for Turon:
      • Pioneer City
    • Plevna
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plevna
      • Plevna is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
    • Jordan Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jordan Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan Springs
      • Jordan Springs is located in Reno County
    • Langdon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdon
      • Langdon is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
    • Abbyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abbyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbyville
      • Abbyville is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Lerado
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lerado have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lerado
      • Lerado is located in Reno County
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint John, with the one closest to Saint John listed first.
    • Raymond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Alden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
      • Alden is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alden <1>
    • Silica
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silica
      • Silica is located in Rice County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint John ...

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 98 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint John.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint John. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint John and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint John.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Saint John.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Saint John:

Cemeteries Near Saint John ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint John.

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 Saint John covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Fairview Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Fairview Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Saint John.
    • The Fairview Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Fairview Memorial Park
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Park Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1330177 <5>
  • Martin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
  • Verning Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Verning Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Verning Cemetery
  • Leesburg Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leesburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leesburg Cemetery
  • Feldhut Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Stafford Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stafford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stafford Cemetery
  • Neelands Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neelands Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neelands Cemetery
  • Rose Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Valley Cemetery
  • Prairie Chapel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Chapel Cemetery
  • Strobe Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strobe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strobe Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Farmington Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (65 more) ...
    • Township Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Township Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Township Cemetery
    • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    • Salem Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint John had a population of 865 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint John had a population of 1,139 people.

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

  • Dillwyn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillwyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillwyn
    • Dillwyn is located in Stafford County
  • Stafford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
    • Stafford is located in Stafford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 920 people
    • Stafford has also been known as:
    • Stafford Center
    • Stafford City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stafford <1>
  • Hudson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
    • Hudson is located in Stafford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
  • Macksville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Seward
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
    • Seward is located in Stafford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
  • Neola
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
    • Neola is located in Stafford County
  • Ray ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
    • Ray is located in Pawnee County
  • Belpre
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belpre
    • Belpre is located in Edwards County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
  • Iuka
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iuka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
    • Iuka is located in Pratt County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Sylvia
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvia
    • Sylvia is located in Reno County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
    • Sylvia has also been known as:
    • Anderson's Farm
  • Natrona
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Natrona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
    • Natrona is located in Pratt County
  • Preston
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
    • Preston is located in Pratt County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Pawnee Rock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dundee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
      • Dundee is located in Barton County
    • Turon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turon
      • Turon is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
      • Former name for Turon:
      • Pioneer City

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

The official website for Saint John: www.stjohnks.net/stjohn/

The official website for Stafford County: www.staffordcounty.org/

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>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.
<3>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.
<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- Saint John) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint John. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.0009, Longitude: -98.7607       In this case, the coordinates for Saint John have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Saint John, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024