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 Terra Cotta (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 Terra Cotta. 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.
Terra Cotta is located in Ellsworth County.
To see how the shape of Kansas' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ellsworth County: Barton, Lincoln, McPherson, Rice, Russell & Saline.
Below are the counties that are near Terra Cotta. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Terra Cotta:
- Ellsworth County (The home county of Terra Cotta)
- The following are listed by their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Carneiro ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Carneiro is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carneiro
- Venango
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Venango is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venango
- Yankee Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Yankee Run is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Run
- Kanopolis
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Langley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Langley is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
- Midway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Midway is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Ellsworth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Frantz ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Frantz is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frantz
- Lorraine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lorraine is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorraine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Holyrood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Beverly
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Beverly is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- Quartzite
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Quartzite is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quartzite
- Lincoln Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Milo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Milo is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Denmark
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Denmark is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
- Sylvan Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sylvan Grove is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
- Sylvan Grove has also been known as:
- Sylvan Grove Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylvan Grove <1>
- McPherson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Marquette
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lindsborg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Windom
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Windom is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Conway
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Conway is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
- McPherson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ottawa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Tescott
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Tescott is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tescott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
- Culver
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Culver is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culver
- Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
- Brewer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Brewer is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewer
- Ada
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ada is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
- Bennington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lindsey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lindsey is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
- Lindsey has also been known as:
- Ayersville
- Alfmil
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alfmil is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfmil
- Minneapolis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Verdi
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Verdi is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdi
- Niles
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Niles is located in Ottawa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
- Rice County
- The following are listed by their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Crawford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Crawford is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Geneseo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Galt
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Galt is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
- Little River
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Frederick
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Frederick is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pollard is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Mitchell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mitchell is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Bushton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bushton is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
- Lyons
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Saline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Brookville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Bavaria
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Bavaria is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bavaria
- Bavaria has also been known as:
- Houch
- Glendale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Glendale is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Falun
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Phillips Village ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Phillips Village is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Village
- Salemsborg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Salemsborg is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemsborg
- Smolan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Smolan is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smolan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
- Assaria
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Mentor
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Mentor is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
- Salina
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Bridgeport
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Bridgeport is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Hallville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Hallville is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallville
- New Cambria
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- New Cambria is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cambria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Terra Cotta, see our County-by-County Page for Terra Cotta.
Cemeteries Near Terra Cotta ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Terra Cotta.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Terra Cotta - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Terra Cotta covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Terra Cotta Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Carneiro Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Summit Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Calvary Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Brookville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mulberry Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Clear Creek Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Kanopolis Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Riverside Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Buckeye Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dry Creek Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Scates Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (80 more) ...
- Faun Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Washam Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Langley Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
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 Terra Cotta had a population of 46 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Terra Cotta, with the one closest to Terra Cotta listed first.
- Arcola
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Arcola is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Carneiro ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Carneiro is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carneiro
- Brookville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Venango
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Venango is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venango
- Kanopolis
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Falun
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bavaria
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Bavaria is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bavaria
- Bavaria has also been known as:
- Houch
- Langley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Langley is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
- Midway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Midway is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Marquette
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Salemsborg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Salemsborg is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemsborg
- Smolan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Smolan is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smolan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Ellsworth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Crawford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Crawford is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Freemount
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Freemount is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freemount
- Freemount has also been known as:
- Freemont City
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Terra Cotta. See our List of 1890's Communities around Terra Cotta.
Newspapers Published in Terra Cotta ...
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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Terra Cotta.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Terra Cotta, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Terra Cotta.
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 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 Terra Cotta:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Ellsworth County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lincoln County
- McPherson County
- Ottawa County
- Rice County
- Saline County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kansas
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Terra Cotta) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Terra Cotta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |