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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 Smith Center (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 Smith Center. 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 Smith Center ...

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.

Another variation: Smith Centre.

  • A typical abbreviation for Smith Center: Smith Ctr. (or less commonly used: Smith Cen., Smith Cent. or Smith Cntr.)

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 northwest 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 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.

Smith Center is located in Smith 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 Smith County: Jewell, Osborne, Phillips, Rooks, Franklin (NE) & Webster (NE).

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

  • Smith County     (The home county of Smith Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Center, with the one closest to Smith Center listed first.
    • Bellaire
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellaire
      • Bellaire is located in Smith County
    • Athol
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
      • Athol is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Gaylord
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Cedar
      (11 miles [17.7 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
    • Lebanon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Harlan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
      • Harlan is located in Smith County
    • Womer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womer
      • Womer is located in Smith County
    • Kensington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington
      • Kensington is located in Smith County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 433 people
    • Claudell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claudell
      • Claudell is located in Smith County
    • Dispatch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dispatch
      • Dispatch is located in Smith County
  • Jewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Center, with the one closest to Smith Center listed first.
    • Esbon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Mitchell County
    • Cawker City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
  • Osborne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Center, with the one closest to Smith Center listed first.
    • Portis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portis
      • Portis is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
    • Bloomington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
      • Bloomington is located in Osborne County
    • Downs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Alton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
    • Osborne
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osborne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
      • Osborne is located in Osborne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,280 people
      • Osborne has also been known as:
      • Peru
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osborne <2>
  • Phillips County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Center, with the one closest to Smith Center listed first.
    • Agra
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agra
      • Agra is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
    • Kirwin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Glade
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade
      • Glade is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
    • Phillipsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
      • Phillipsburg is located in Phillips County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,420 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phillipsburg <2>
  • Rooks County
    • Woodston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodston
      • Woodston is located in Rooks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
      • Woodston has also been known as:
      • Woodston Saw
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodston <2>
  • Franklin County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Center, with the one closest to Smith Center listed first.
    • Riverton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Bloomington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Naponee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naponee
      • Naponee is located in Franklin County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Naponee <2>
    • Macon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
      • Macon is located in Franklin County (NE)
  • Webster County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Center, with the one closest to Smith Center listed first.
    • Inavale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Red Cloud
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Pawnee Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amboy
      • Amboy is located in Webster County (NE)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Smith Center ...

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 118 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smith Center.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Smith Center. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Smith Center and those printed in the larger area surrounding Smith Center.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Smith Center.

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 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 Smith Center:

Cemeteries Near Smith Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smith Center.

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • Christ Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Christ Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christ Cemetery
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
  • Custer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Meade Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meade Cemetery
  • Cedar Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Cemetery
  • Gaylord Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gaylord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gaylord Cemetery
  • Crystal Plains Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crystal Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crystal Plains Cemetery
  • Zion Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
  • Price Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Bell Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (100 more) ...
    • Cedar Hill Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
    • Eminence Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eminence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eminence Cemetery
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Smith Center had a population of 767 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Smith Center had a population of 1,553 people.

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

  • Bellaire
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellaire
    • Bellaire is located in Smith County
  • Athol
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athol
    • Athol is located in Smith County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
  • Gaylord
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Cora
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Cedar
    (11 miles [17.7 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
  • Reamsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamsville
    • Reamsville is located in Smith County
  • Harlan
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
    • Harlan is located in Smith County
  • Lebanon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Womer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womer
    • Womer is located in Smith County
  • Kensington
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kensington
    • Kensington is located in Smith County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 433 people
  • Portis
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portis
    • Portis is located in Osborne County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
  • Agra
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agra
    • Agra is located in Phillips County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dentonia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Esbon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Kirwin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Smith Center. 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Smith Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smith Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7803, Longitude: -98.7858    
<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 Smith Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024