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 Toronto (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 Toronto. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Toronto is located in Woodson 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 Woodson County: Allen, Anderson, Coffey, Greenwood, Neosho & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Toronto. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Toronto:
- Woodson County (The home county of Toronto)
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Batesville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Batesville is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesville
- Yates Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rose
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rose is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose
- Durand
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Durand is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durand
- Hasty
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hasty is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
- Cookville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cookville is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cookville
- North Ridge ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- North Ridge is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ridge
- Athens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Athens is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Vernon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Vernon is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Piqua
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Neosho Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Neosho Falls is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Petrolia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Petrolia is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrolia
- Humboldt
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Octagon City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Octagon City is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Octagon City
- Geneva
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Geneva is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Bassett
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bassett is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- Coffey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Gridley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Gridley is located in Coffey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gridley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
- Le Roy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Cave Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cave Springs is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Springs
- Fiat
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fiat is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
- Busby
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Busby is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busby
- Upola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Upola is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upola
- Howard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Howard is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 600 people
- Former name for Howard:
- Howard City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howard <1>
- Longton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Longton is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
- Former name for Longton:
- Elk Rapids
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longton <1>
- Greenwood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Neal
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Neal is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neal
- Virgil
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Virgil is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Fall River
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Climax
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Climax is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- Hamilton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Eureka
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Severy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Severy is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Lamont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Madison
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Piedmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lapland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lapland is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapland
- Reece
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Reece is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reece
- Neosho County
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Chanute
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Earlton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Earlton is located in Neosho County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earlton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Coyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Coyville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- Middletown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Middletown is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- New Albany
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- New Albany is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Albany
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Buffalo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Buffalo is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
- Roper
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Roper is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
- Benedict Junction
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Benedict Junction is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benedict Junction
- Benedict
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Guilford
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Guilford is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Rest
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Rest is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rest
- Fredonia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- South Ridge ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- South Ridge is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ridge
- Vilas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vilas is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vilas
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Toronto, see our County-by-County Page for Toronto.
Cemeteries Near Toronto ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Toronto.
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 Toronto - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Toronto covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Toronto Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cedar Bluff Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Carlisle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Big Sandy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Rocky Ford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Quincy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Caley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Neal Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Watts Haven Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Coyville Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Trimmell Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Little Sandy Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (116 more) ...
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Belmont Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Township Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
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 Toronto had a population of 552 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Toronto had a population of 252 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Toronto, with the one closest to Toronto listed first.
- Batesville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Batesville is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesville
- Quincy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Quincy is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Neal
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Neal is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neal
- Coyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Coyville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- Middletown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Middletown is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Yates Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Virgil
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Virgil is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Fall River
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Tonovay
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Tonovay is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonovay
- Rose
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rose is located in Woodson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose
- Climax
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Climax is located in Greenwood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- New Albany
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- New Albany is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Albany
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Roper
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Roper is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
- Buffalo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Buffalo is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
- Benedict Junction
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Benedict Junction is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benedict Junction
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Toronto. See our List of 1890's Communities around Toronto.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Toronto ...
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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Toronto.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Toronto. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Toronto and those printed in the larger area surrounding Toronto.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<2> of Toronto.
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 helpful 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 Toronto:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Woodson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allen County
- Coffey County
- Elk County
- Greenwood County
- Neosho County
- Wilson 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Toronto) 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 Toronto, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |