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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 Wakefield (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 Wakefield. 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 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.

Wakefield is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Cloud, Dickinson, Geary, Ottawa, Riley & Washington.

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

  • Clay County     (The home county of Wakefield)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Broughton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Broughton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughton
      • Broughton is located in Clay County
    • Ladysmith
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ladysmith have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladysmith
      • Ladysmith is located in Clay County
    • Industry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
      • Industry is located in Clay County
    • Clay Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Green
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Idana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Idana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idana
      • Idana is located in Clay County
    • Longford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longford
      • Longford is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
      • Longford has also been known as:
      • Longford Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longford <2>
    • Oak Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
      • Oak Hill is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Morganville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morganville
      • Morganville is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
      • Morganville has also been known as:
      • Morgantown
    • Oscar ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
      • Oscar is located in Clay County
    • Vining
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vining have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vining
      • Vining is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Cloud County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Miltonvale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Saint Joseph
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Joseph have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
      • Saint Joseph is located in Cloud County
  • Dickinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Upland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
      • Upland is located in Dickinson County
    • Buckeye
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Dickinson County
    • Chapman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Manchester
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Manchester is located in Dickinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95 people
    • Talmage
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
      • Talmage is located in Dickinson County
    • Detroit
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Detroit is located in Dickinson County
    • Enterprise
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Abilene
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Lyona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyona
      • Lyona is located in Dickinson County
    • Acme
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Dickinson County
    • Solomon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Navarre
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Navarre have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Navarre
      • Navarre is located in Dickinson County
  • Geary County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Milford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Junction City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Grandview Plaza
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview Plaza have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview Plaza
      • Grandview Plaza is located in Geary County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,553 people
    • Wreford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wreford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wreford
      • Wreford is located in Geary County
  • Morris County
    • Skiddy ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skiddy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skiddy
      • Skiddy is located in Morris County
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Vine Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vine Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Creek
      • Vine Creek is located in Ottawa County
      • Former name for Vine Creek:
      • Vine
    • Ackley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackley
      • Ackley is located in Ottawa County
    • Niles
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
      • Niles is located in Ottawa County
    • Wells
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells
      • Wells is located in Ottawa County
    • Verdi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdi
      • Verdi is located in Ottawa County
    • Lamar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Ottawa County
  • Pottawatomie County
    • Olsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olsburg
      • Olsburg is located in Pottawatomie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olsburg <2>
  • Riley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Bala
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bala
      • Bala is located in Riley County
    • Riley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
      • Riley is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 955 people
      • Former names for Riley:
      • Riley Center
      • Union
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riley <2>
    • Lasita ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lasita have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lasita
      • Lasita is located in Riley County
    • Leonardville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardville
      • Leonardville is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
      • Leonardville has also been known as:
      • Leonard
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonardville <2>
    • Keats
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keats
      • Keats is located in Riley County
    • Walsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsburg
      • Walsburg is located in Riley County
    • Ogden
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • May Day
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for May Day
      • May Day is located in Riley County
    • Randolph
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Riley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
    • Winkler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winkler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkler
      • Winkler is located in Riley County
    • Ashland ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashland came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Ashland is located in Riley County
      • Ashland has also been known as:
      • Ashland Bottoms
    • Manhattan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wakefield, with the one closest to Wakefield listed first.
    • Chepstow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chepstow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepstow
      • Chepstow is located in Washington County
    • Clifton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
      • Clifton has also been known as:
      • West Clifton
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifton <2>
    • Palmer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people

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

Newspapers Published in Wakefield ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wakefield.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wakefield, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wakefield.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Wakefield:

Cemeteries Near Wakefield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wakefield.

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

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

  • Highland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
  • Timber Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Timber Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Timber Creek Cemetery
  • Madura Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Madura Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Madura Cemetery
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Barry Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barry Cemetery
  • Gilbert Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilbert Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilbert Cemetery
  • Milford Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Milford Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<4> to the southwest of Milford.
    • The Milford Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Milford Schenck Branscom Cemeteries
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Milford Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #93039 <5>
  • Branscom Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Branscom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Branscom Cemetery
  • Bala Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Athelstane Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Athelstane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Athelstane Cemetery
  • Broughton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Broughton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Broughton Cemetery
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (145 more) ...
    • Alida Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alida Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alida Cemetery
    • Laid Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laid Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laid Cemetery
    • Greenridge Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Wakefield had a population of 241 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wakefield had a population of 920 people.

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

  • Milford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Broughton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Broughton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughton
    • Broughton is located in Clay County
  • Bala
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bala
    • Bala is located in Riley County
  • Alida
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alida have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alida
    • Alida is located in Geary County
  • Industry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Industry
    • Industry is located in Clay County
  • Sutphen ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sutphen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutphen
    • Sutphen is located in Dickinson County
  • Riley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
    • Riley is located in Riley County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 955 people
    • Former names for Riley:
    • Riley Center
    • Union
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riley <2>
  • Clay Center
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Leonardville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardville
    • Leonardville is located in Riley County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
    • Leonardville has also been known as:
    • Leonard
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonardville <2>
  • Green
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Chapman
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Kansas Falls
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kansas Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas Falls
    • Kansas Falls is located in Geary County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Junction City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Keats
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keats
      • Keats is located in Riley County
    • Walsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsburg
      • Walsburg is located in Riley County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wakefield. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Clay County: www.claycountyks.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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<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- Wakefield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wakefield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2157, Longitude: -97.0147    
<5>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.
<6>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 Wakefield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024