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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 Salem (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 Salem. 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 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.

Salem is located in Rawlins 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 Rawlins County: Cheyenne, Decatur, Sherman, Thomas, Dundy (NE), Hitchcock (NE) & Red Willow (NE).

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

  • Jewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Esbon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esbon
      • Esbon is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esbon <2>
    • Burr Oak
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Oak
      • Burr Oak is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Mankato
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Montrose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Jewell County
      • Former name for Montrose:
      • Delta
    • Jewell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
      • Jewell is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Webber
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webber have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webber
      • Webber is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webber <2>
    • Formoso
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Formoso have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Formoso
      • Formoso is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Randall
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
      • Randall is located in Jewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Cawker City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cawker City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cawker City
      • Cawker City is located in Mitchell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 426 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cawker City <2>
    • Glen Elder
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Osborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Portis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portis
      • Portis is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
    • Downs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Republic County
    • White Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Republic County
  • Smith County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Lebanon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bellaire
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellaire
      • Bellaire is located in Smith County
    • Womer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womer
      • Womer is located in Smith County
    • Smith Center
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Dispatch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dispatch
      • Dispatch is located in Smith County
    • Harlan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
      • Harlan is located in Smith County
    • Gaylord
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaylord have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaylord
      • Gaylord is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaylord <2>
    • Athol
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
      • Athol is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Cedar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar
      • Cedar is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
    • Kensington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington
      • Kensington is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 433 people
  • Franklin County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Riverton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Riverton is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverton <2>
    • Franklin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <2>
  • Nuckolls County (NE)
    • Superior
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
      • Superior is located in Nuckolls County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,805 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Superior <2>
  • Webster County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
    • Pawnee Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pawnee Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee Village
      • Pawnee Village is located in Webster County (NE)
    • Amboy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amboy
      • Amboy is located in Webster County (NE)
    • Red Cloud
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Guide Rock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guide Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guide Rock
      • Guide Rock is located in Webster County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guide Rock <2>
    • Inavale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cowles
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowles
      • Cowles is located in Webster County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
    • Rosemont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemont
      • Rosemont is located in Webster County (NE)

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

Newspapers Published in Salem ...

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 140 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Salem, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Salem.

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 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 Salem:

Cemeteries Near Salem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.

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

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

  • Salem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
  • Prairie Home Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Home Cemetery
  • Amity Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Pleasant Plains Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Plains Cemetery
  • Providence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Providence Cemetery
  • Webb Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Webb Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Webb Hill Cemetery
  • Esbon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Esbon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Esbon Cemetery
  • Oak Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Creek Cemetery
  • Sweet Home Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sweet Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sweet Home Cemetery
  • St. Elizabeth Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Elizabeth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Elizabeth Cemetery
  • Baker Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (117 more) ...
    • Price Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Price Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Price Cemetery
    • Highland Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Oriole Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oriole Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oriole 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.<5>

While we didn't find Salem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Salem.

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

  • Esbon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esbon
    • Esbon is located in Jewell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esbon <2>
  • Lebanon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Otego
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otego have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otego
    • Otego is located in Jewell County
  • Burr Oak
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Oak
    • Burr Oak is located in Jewell County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
  • Northbranch
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northbranch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northbranch
    • Northbranch is located in Jewell County
  • Cora
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Smith County
  • Bellaire
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellaire
    • Bellaire is located in Smith County
  • Dentonia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dentonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dentonia
    • Dentonia is located in Jewell County
  • Womer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womer
    • Womer is located in Smith County
  • Mankato
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Amboy
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amboy
    • Amboy is located in Webster County (NE)
  • Red Cloud
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Ionia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ionia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ionia
      • Ionia is located in Jewell County
    • Guide Rock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guide Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guide Rock
      • Guide Rock is located in Webster County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guide Rock <2>
    • Smith Center
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)

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

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Salem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Salem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8717, Longitude: -98.4845       In this case, the coordinates for Salem have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Salem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024