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 Wakarusa (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 Wakarusa. 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.
Wakarusa is located in Shawnee 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 Shawnee County: Douglas, Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, Pottawatomie & Wabaunsee.
Below are the counties that are near Wakarusa. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wakarusa:
- Shawnee County (The home county of Wakarusa)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Cullen Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cullen Village is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullen Village
- Pauline
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Pauline is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pauline
- Berryton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Berryton is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryton
- Auburn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Auburn is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
- Richland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Richland is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Highland Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Highland Park is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
- Watson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Watson is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Topeka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Oakland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Oakland is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Tecumseh
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- North Topeka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- North Topeka is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Topeka
- Spencer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Spencer is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Dover
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Big Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Big Springs is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
- Stull
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Stull is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stull
- Clinton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Clinton is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Grover
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Grover is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
- Globe
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Globe is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
- Kanwaka
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Kanwaka is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanwaka
- Kanwaka has also been known as:
- Kanawha
- Kannaka
- Kanwaca
- Lone Star
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lone Star is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Star
- Lecompton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Worden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Worden is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worden
- Pleasant Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Lawrence
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bismarck Grove ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bismarck Grove is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bismarck Grove
- Midland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Midland is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Centropolis
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Centropolis is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centropolis
- Pomona
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Richter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Richter is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richter
- Norwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Norwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Ottawa Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ottawa Junction is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottawa Junction
- Ottawa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ransomville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ransomville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransomville
- Homewood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Homewood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Williamsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Hoyt
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Delia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Delia is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Grantville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Grantville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantville
- Newman
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Newman is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newman
- Medina
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Medina is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medina
- Thompsonville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Thompsonville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Perry
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Meriden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lake Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Ridge is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ridge
- Williamstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Williamstown is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
- Hilldale South
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Hilldale South is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale South
- Hilldale
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Hilldale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
- West Shore
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- West Shore is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Shore
- Lakeside Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeside Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
- Buck Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Buck Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Creek
- Lyon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Miller
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Miller is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miller
- Admire
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Reading
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Allen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Allen is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Osage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Mineral Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mineral Springs is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs
- Carbondale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Carbondale is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,347 people
- Scranton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Overbrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Burlingame
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Burlingame is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
- Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
- Former name for Burlingame:
- American Settlement
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlingame <1>
- Vassar
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Peterton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Peterton is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peterton
- Osage City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Lyndon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Quenemo
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Quenemo is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quenemo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
- Quenemo has also been known as:
- Quenemo Agency
- Barclay
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Barclay is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Melvern
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Melvern is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvern
- Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
- Melvern has also been known as:
- Melvin
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melvern <1>
- Olivet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Olivet is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Pottawatomie County
- Saint Marys
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wabaunsee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Harveyville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Harveyville is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Wilmington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wilmington is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Maple Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Eskridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Eskridge is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eskridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 502 people
- Vera
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Vera is located in Wabaunsee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera
- Paxico
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wakarusa, see our County-by-County Page for Wakarusa.
Cemeteries Near Wakarusa ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wakarusa.
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 Wakarusa - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wakarusa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Shawnee Center Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Shawnee Center Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Yocum Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Vawter Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Somervell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgeway Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lynn Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Carbondale Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Elevation Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Foster Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Auburn Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (150 more) ...
- Scranton Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Boles Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Emmanuel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
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 Wakarusa had a population of 50 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wakarusa, with the one closest to Wakarusa listed first.
- Carbondale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Carbondale is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,347 people
- Berryton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Berryton is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryton
- Pauline
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Pauline is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pauline
- Auburn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Auburn is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
- Scranton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Swissvale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Swissvale is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swissvale
- Richland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Richland is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Overbrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Watson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Watson is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Burlingame
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Burlingame is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
- Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
- Former name for Burlingame:
- American Settlement
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlingame <1>
- Topeka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Tecumseh
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Oakland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Oakland is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- North Topeka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- North Topeka is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Topeka
- Menoken
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Menoken is located in Shawnee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menoken
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wakarusa. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wakarusa.
Newspapers Published in Wakarusa ...
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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wakarusa.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wakarusa, 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 Wakarusa.
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 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 Wakarusa:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Shawnee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Douglas County
- Franklin County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Lyon County
- Osage County
- Pottawatomie County
- Wabaunsee 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> | 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 Wakarusa, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wakarusa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |