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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 Smolan (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 Smolan. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Smolan is located in Saline 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 Saline County: Dickinson, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Marion, McPherson & Ottawa.

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

  • Saline County     (The home county of Smolan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Phillips Village ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillips Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Village
      • Phillips Village is located in Saline County
    • Salemsborg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemsborg
      • Salemsborg is located in Saline County
    • Mentor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
      • Mentor is located in Saline County
    • Bavaria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bavaria
      • Bavaria is located in Saline County
      • Bavaria has also been known as:
      • Houch
    • Assaria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assaria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assaria
      • Assaria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Assaria <2>
    • Falun
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Salina
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bridgeport
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Bridgeport is located in Saline County
    • Hallville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallville
      • Hallville is located in Saline County
    • Brookville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
      • Brookville is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookville <2>
    • Kipp
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipp
      • Kipp is located in Saline County
    • Gypsum
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Dickinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Solomon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Carlton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
      • Carlton is located in Dickinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Holland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Dickinson County
    • Acme
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Dickinson County
    • Elmo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
      • Elmo is located in Dickinson County
    • Abilene
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Dillon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
      • Dillon is located in Dickinson County
    • Talmage
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
      • Talmage is located in Dickinson County
  • Ellsworth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Venango
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venango have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venango
      • Venango is located in Ellsworth County
    • Carneiro ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carneiro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carneiro
      • Carneiro is located in Ellsworth County
    • Yankee Run
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Run
      • Yankee Run is located in Ellsworth County
    • Langley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Langley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
      • Langley is located in Ellsworth County
    • Kanopolis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanopolis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanopolis
      • Kanopolis is located in Ellsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kanopolis <2>
    • Ellsworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Beverly
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beverly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
      • Beverly is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Quartzite
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quartzite
      • Quartzite is located in Lincoln County
  • Marion County
    • Durham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Durham is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
  • McPherson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Lindsborg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Marquette
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marquette have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette
      • Marquette is located in McPherson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 595 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marquette <2>
    • Roxbury
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
      • Roxbury is located in McPherson County
    • Galva
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galva
      • Galva is located in McPherson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 887 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galva <2>
    • McPherson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Conway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in McPherson County
    • Canton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Windom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
      • Windom is located in McPherson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
    • Groveland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groveland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland
      • Groveland is located in McPherson County
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Culver
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culver
      • Culver is located in Ottawa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
    • Niles
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
      • Niles is located in Ottawa County
    • Verdi
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdi
      • Verdi is located in Ottawa County
    • Bennington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Tescott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tescott
      • Tescott is located in Ottawa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Lindsey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
      • Lindsey is located in Ottawa County
      • Lindsey has also been known as:
      • Ayersville
    • Minneapolis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Alfmil
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfmil
      • Alfmil is located in Ottawa County
    • Ackley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackley
      • Ackley is located in Ottawa County
    • Wells
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Wells is located in Ottawa County
    • Vine Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vine Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Creek
      • Vine Creek is located in Ottawa County
      • Former name for Vine Creek:
      • Vine
    • Ada
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
      • Ada is located in Ottawa County
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smolan, with the one closest to Smolan listed first.
    • Crawford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
      • Crawford is located in Rice County
    • Galt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
      • Galt is located in Rice County
    • Geneseo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Little River
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Smolan ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smolan.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smolan, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smolan.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Smolan:

Cemeteries Near Smolan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smolan.

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

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

  • Smolan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smolan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smolan Cemetery
  • Faun Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Faun Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Faun Cemetery
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Smoky Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Bridgeport Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bridgeport Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Bridgeport.
    • The Bridgeport Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Husted Family Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bridgeport Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2185179 <4>
  • Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Gypsum Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Dry Creek Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Brookville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brookville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brookville Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
  • Continue List   (89 more) ...
    • Swenson Gravesite
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Summit Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Summit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Summit Cemetery
    • Elmwood Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Smolan had a population of 27 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Smolan had a population of 203 people.

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

  • Salemsborg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemsborg
    • Salemsborg is located in Saline County
  • Mentor
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
    • Mentor is located in Saline County
  • Assaria
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assaria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assaria
    • Assaria is located in Saline County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Assaria <2>
  • Bavaria
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bavaria
    • Bavaria is located in Saline County
    • Bavaria has also been known as:
    • Houch
  • Falun
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Salina
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Bridgeport
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
    • Bridgeport is located in Saline County
  • Hallville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallville
    • Hallville is located in Saline County
  • Trenton ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trenton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
    • Trenton is located in Saline County
  • Brookville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
    • Brookville is located in Saline County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookville <2>
  • Lindsborg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Kipp
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipp
    • Kipp is located in Saline County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Shipton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shipton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipton
      • Shipton is located in Saline County
    • Gypsum
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • New Cambria
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Cambria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cambria
      • New Cambria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people

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

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

The official website for Saline County: www.co.saline.ks.us/

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 from Point A (ie- Smolan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Smolan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7378, Longitude: -97.6842       In this case, the coordinates for Smolan 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 Smolan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024