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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 Smiths Ferry (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 Smiths Ferry. 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 Smiths Ferry ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Smiths Ferry: Smiths Fry. (or less commonly used: Smiths Frry.)
  • While the name of this community is Smiths Ferry, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Smiths Ferry may originally have been Smith's Ferry.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Smiths Ferry might be written as Smith Ferry.

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 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 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.

Smiths Ferry is located in Shawnee 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 Shawnee County: Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, Pottawatomie & Wabaunsee.

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

  • Shawnee County     (The home county of Smiths Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Kiro
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiro
      • Kiro is located in Shawnee County
    • Silver Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
      • Silver Lake is located in Shawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,395 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Lake <3>
    • Topeka
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topeka
      • Topeka is located in Shawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124,558 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Topeka <3>
    • Highland Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
      • Highland Park is located in Shawnee County
    • North Topeka
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Topeka
      • North Topeka is located in Shawnee County
    • Oakland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Shawnee County
    • Pauline
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pauline
      • Pauline is located in Shawnee County
    • Willard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Shawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
    • Rossville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
      • Rossville is located in Shawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,115 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rossville <3>
    • Cullen Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cullen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullen Village
      • Cullen Village is located in Shawnee County
    • Dover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tecumseh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tecumseh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tecumseh
      • Tecumseh is located in Shawnee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tecumseh <3>
    • Auburn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
      • Auburn is located in Shawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
  • Atchison County
    • Arrington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrington
      • Arrington is located in Atchison County
      • Arrington has also been known as:
      • Arrington Mineral Springs
      • Arrington Springs
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Big Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
      • Big Springs is located in Douglas County
    • Grover
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
      • Grover is located in Douglas County
    • Stull
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stull have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stull
      • Stull is located in Douglas County
    • Lecompton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lecompton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lecompton
      • Lecompton is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lecompton <3>
    • Kanwaka
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanwaka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanwaka
      • Kanwaka is located in Douglas County
      • Kanwaka has also been known as:
      • Kanawha
      • Kannaka
      • Kanwaca
    • Clinton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Clinton is located in Douglas County
    • Lone Star
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Star have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
      • Lone Star is located in Douglas County
    • Globe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
      • Globe is located in Douglas County
    • Lawrence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Midland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
      • Midland is located in Douglas County
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Hoyt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoyt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoyt
      • Hoyt is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 629 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoyt <3>
    • Delia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delia
      • Delia is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
    • Mayetta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayetta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayetta
      • Mayetta is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayetta <3>
    • Birmingham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
      • Birmingham is located in Jackson County
    • Denison
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Holton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
      • Holton is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holton <3>
    • Avoca ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avoca. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Avoca is located in Jackson County
    • Larkinburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Larkinburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkinburg
      • Larkinburg is located in Jackson County
    • Circleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Grantville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grantville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
      • Grantville is located in Jefferson County
    • Meriden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Newman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
      • Newman is located in Jefferson County
    • Lake Ridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ridge
      • Lake Ridge is located in Jefferson County
    • Hilldale South
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilldale South have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale South
      • Hilldale South is located in Jefferson County
    • Hilldale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hilldale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
      • Hilldale is located in Jefferson County
    • Rock Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
      • Rock Creek is located in Jefferson County
    • Thompsonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thompsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
      • Thompsonville is located in Jefferson County
    • West Shore
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Shore
      • West Shore is located in Jefferson County
    • Medina
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Medina. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medina
      • Medina is located in Jefferson County
    • Indian Ridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Ridge
      • Indian Ridge is located in Jefferson County
    • Lakeside Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeside Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
      • Lakeside Village is located in Jefferson County
    • Ozawkie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Osage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Mineral Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
      • Mineral Springs is located in Osage County
    • Carbondale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbondale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
      • Carbondale is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,347 people
    • Scranton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scranton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
      • Scranton is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scranton <3>
    • Burlingame
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlingame have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
      • Burlingame is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
      • Former name for Burlingame:
      • American Settlement
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlingame <3>
    • Overbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Overbrook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overbrook
      • Overbrook is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,005 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Overbrook <3>
    • Peterton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peterton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterton
      • Peterton is located in Osage County
    • Osage City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osage City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage City
      • Osage City is located in Osage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,765 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osage City <3>
    • Vassar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Pottawatomie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Saint Marys
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Marys have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys
      • Saint Marys is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Marys <3>
    • Emmett
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emmett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
    • Belvue
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belvue have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Aikins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aikins
      • Aikins is located in Pottawatomie County
    • Wamego
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wamego have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
    • Louisville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Wabaunsee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Ferry, with the one closest to Smiths Ferry listed first.
    • Maple Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
      • Maple Hill is located in Wabaunsee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 599 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maple Hill <3>
    • Vera
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera
      • Vera is located in Wabaunsee County
    • Paxico
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Harveyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harveyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveyville
      • Harveyville is located in Wabaunsee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
    • Eskridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eskridge
      • Eskridge is located in Wabaunsee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 502 people
    • Wilmington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Wabaunsee County
    • McFarland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McFarland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Alma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Smiths Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiths Ferry.

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

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

  • West Lawn Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Lawn Memorial Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Lawn Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Security Benefit Association Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Security Benefit Association Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Security Benefit Association Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mission Center Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mission Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mission Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Hope Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Topeka.
    • The Mt. Hope Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Fairlawn Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93131 <5>
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Penwell - Gabel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Penwell - Gabel Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Penwell - Gabel Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Topeka.
    • The Penwell - Gabel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Pen Well - Gabel Cemetery
    • Penwell Gabel Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93016 <5>
  • Prairie Home Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Topeka State Hospital Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Valencia Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valencia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valencia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elevation Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elevation Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elevation Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Silver Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Foster Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foster Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (142 more) ...
    • Boys Industrial School Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boys Industrial School Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boys Industrial School Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rochester Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Topeka Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Topeka Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Topeka Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Topeka.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93916 <5>

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>

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

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

  • Menoken
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menoken have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menoken
    • Menoken is located in Shawnee County
  • Silver Lake
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
    • Silver Lake is located in Shawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,395 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Lake <3>
  • Valencia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valencia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valencia
    • Valencia is located in Shawnee County
  • Topeka
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topeka
    • Topeka is located in Shawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 124,558 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Topeka <3>
  • North Topeka
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Topeka
    • North Topeka is located in Shawnee County
  • Pauline
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pauline
    • Pauline is located in Shawnee County
  • Oakland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Oakland is located in Shawnee County
  • Elmont
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmont
    • Elmont is located in Shawnee County
  • Willard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Willard is located in Shawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
  • Rossville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rossville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
    • Rossville is located in Shawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,115 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rossville <3>
  • Dover
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Auburn
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Auburn is located in Shawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Tecumseh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tecumseh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tecumseh
      • Tecumseh is located in Shawnee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tecumseh <3>
    • Berryton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryton
      • Berryton is located in Shawnee County
    • Grantville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grantville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
      • Grantville is located in Jefferson County

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

Newspapers Published in Smiths Ferry ...

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 151 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiths Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiths Ferry, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smiths Ferry.

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 Smiths Ferry:

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

The official website for Shawnee County: www.co.shawnee.ks.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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 Smiths Ferry, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Smiths Ferry) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smiths Ferry. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.0653, Longitude: -95.7961       In this case, the coordinates for Smiths Ferry have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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