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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 Sterling (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 Sterling. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Sterling is located in Rice 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 Rice County: Barton, Ellsworth, McPherson, Reno & Stafford.

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

  • Rice County     (The home county of Sterling)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Saxman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saxman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
      • Saxman is located in Rice County
    • Alden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
      • Alden is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alden <2>
    • Lyons
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyons have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
      • Lyons is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,433 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyons <2>
    • Chase
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chase have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
      • Chase is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 429 people
    • Raymond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Mitchell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
      • Mitchell is located in Rice County
    • Pollard ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pollard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
      • Pollard is located in Rice County
    • Little River
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Silica
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silica
      • Silica is located in Rice County
    • Galt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Frederick
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frederick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederick
      • Frederick is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
    • Geneseo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Barton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Ellinwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellinwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellinwood
      • Ellinwood is located in Barton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,932 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellinwood <2>
    • Dartmouth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dartmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmouth
      • Dartmouth is located in Barton County
    • Claflin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Ellsworth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Frantz ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frantz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frantz
      • Frantz is located in Ellsworth County
    • Lorraine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lorraine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorraine
      • Lorraine is located in Ellsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
    • Langley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Holyrood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holyrood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holyrood
      • Holyrood is located in Ellsworth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holyrood <2>
  • McPherson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Windom
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Inman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
      • Inman is located in McPherson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inman <2>
    • Conway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in McPherson County
    • Groveland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Reno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Nickerson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nickerson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nickerson
      • Nickerson is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nickerson <2>
    • Adams Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adams Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
      • Adams Corner is located in Reno County
    • Willowbrook
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
      • Willowbrook is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Yaggy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yaggy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yaggy
      • Yaggy is located in Reno County
    • Abbyville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abbyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbyville
      • Abbyville is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Partridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partridge
      • Partridge is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
    • Plevna
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plevna
      • Plevna is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
    • Whiteside
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiteside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteside
      • Whiteside is located in Reno County
    • Hutchinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Medora
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medora
      • Medora is located in Reno County
    • South Hutchinson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sylvia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvia
      • Sylvia is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
      • Sylvia has also been known as:
      • Anderson's Farm
  • Stafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Hudson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Hudson is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Stafford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Stafford is located in Stafford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 920 people
      • Stafford has also been known as:
      • Stafford Center
      • Stafford City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stafford <2>
    • Neola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
      • Neola is located in Stafford County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sterling ...

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 144 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sterling.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 Sterling:

Cemeteries Near Sterling ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sterling.

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

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

  • Sterling Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sterling Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sterling Cemetery
  • Peace Valley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peace Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peace Valley Cemetery
  • Salem Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Wild Mead Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wild Mead Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wild Mead Cemetery
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
  • Peace Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peace Cemetery
  • Lodiana Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lodiana Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lodiana Cemetery
  • Lyons Municipal Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Springdale Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springdale Cemetery
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Cemetery
  • Shumway Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shumway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shumway Cemetery
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • The Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Huntsville Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
  • Continue List   (72 more) ...
    • Hilltop Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hinshaw Family Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hinshaw Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hinshaw Family Cemetery
    • Memorial Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)

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 Sterling had a population of 1,641 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sterling had a population of 2,176 people.

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

  • Saxman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saxman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
    • Saxman is located in Rice County
  • Alden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
    • Alden is located in Rice County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alden <2>
  • Nickerson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nickerson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nickerson
    • Nickerson is located in Reno County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nickerson <2>
  • Lyons
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyons have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
    • Lyons is located in Rice County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,433 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyons <2>
  • Huntsville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
    • Huntsville is located in Reno County
  • Chase
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chase have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
    • Chase is located in Rice County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 429 people
  • Raymond
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Raymond is located in Rice County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
  • Mitchell
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
    • Mitchell is located in Rice County
  • Pollard ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pollard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
    • Pollard is located in Rice County
  • Abbyville
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abbyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbyville
    • Abbyville is located in Reno County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
  • Little River
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Plevna
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plevna
    • Plevna is located in Reno County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Partridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partridge
      • Partridge is located in Reno County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
    • Hutchinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Galt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • 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

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

The official website for Sterling: www.sterling-kansas.com/

The official website for Rice County: www.ricecounty.org/

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sterling) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sterling. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2090, Longitude: -98.2056    
<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 Sterling, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024