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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 Viola (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 Viola. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Viola is located in Sedgwick 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 Sedgwick County: Butler, Cowley, Harvey, Kingman, Reno & Sumner.

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

  • Sedgwick County     (The home county of Viola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Viola, with the one closest to Viola listed first.
    • Anness
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Anness is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anness
    • Clonmel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Clonmel is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clonmel
    • Clearwater
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Garden Plain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Garden Plain is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Plain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 912 people
    • Bayneville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayneville is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayneville
    • Cheney
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Goddard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Peck
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Murray Gill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Murray Gill is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray Gill
    • Haysville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Oatville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oatville is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatville
    • Wego-Waco
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Wego-Waco is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wego-Waco
    • Waco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Waco is located in Sedgwick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
  • Butler County
    • Rose Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Cowley County
    • Udall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Harper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Viola, with the one closest to Viola listed first.
    • Runnymede
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Runnymede is located in Harper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
    • Danville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Danville is located in Harper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
      • Danville has also been known as:
      • Coalville
    • Freeport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Freeport is located in Harper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
    • Harper
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Duquoin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Duquoin is located in Harper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duquoin
    • Anthony
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bluff City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bluff City is located in Harper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
  • Kingman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Viola, with the one closest to Viola listed first.
    • Norwich
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Murdock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Murdock is located in Kingman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
    • Adams
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Adams is located in Kingman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
    • Belmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Belmont is located in Kingman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Alameda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Alameda is located in Kingman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alameda
    • Rago
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Rago is located in Kingman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rago
    • Kingman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Spivey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Spivey is located in Kingman County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spivey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
  • Reno County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Viola, with the one closest to Viola listed first.
    • Saint Joe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Saint Joe is located in Reno County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joe
    • Haven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Pretty Prairie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sumner County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Viola, with the one closest to Viola listed first.
    • Millerton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Millerton is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Conway Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Milton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Milton is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Ewell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Ewell is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
    • Anson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Anson is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
    • Milan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Milan is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Mayfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Mayfield is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • Argonia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Roland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Roland is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
    • Cicero
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Cicero is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicero
    • Belle Plaine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Wellington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Perth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Perth is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perth

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

Cemeteries Near Viola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Viola.

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 Viola - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Viola covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Viola Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Peotone Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Harrington Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Eden Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Conway Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Amish Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Clearwater Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Old St. Johns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ruby Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (118 more) ...
    • Stitch Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Greencastle Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Worden Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Viola had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Viola had a population of 126 people.

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

  • Anness
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Anness is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anness
  • Millerton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Millerton is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
  • Conway Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Milton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Milton is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
  • Clearwater
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Ewell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ewell is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
  • Anson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Anson is located in Sumner County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
  • Norwich
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Bayneville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bayneville is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayneville
  • Cheney
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Garden Plain
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Garden Plain is located in Sedgwick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Plain
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 912 people
  • Goddard
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Zyba
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Zyba is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zyba
      • Zyba has also been known as:
      • Zuba
      • Zyber
    • Peck
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Milan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Milan is located in Sumner County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people

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

Newspapers Published in Viola ...

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 257 newspapers that have been published in the area around Viola.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Viola, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Viola.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Viola:

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>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.
<3>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 Viola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Viola) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.