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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 Washington (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 Washington. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Washington is located in Washington County and is the County Seat.

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 Washington County: Clay, Cloud, Marshall, Republic, Riley, Gage (NE), Jefferson (NE) & Thayer (NE).

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Washington)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Morrowville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Greenleaf
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
      • Greenleaf is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenleaf <2>
    • Blocker ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blocker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocker
      • Blocker is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blocker
      • From Washington to Blocker
    • Linn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Hanover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
      • Hanover is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hanover <2>
    • Hollenberg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollenberg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollenberg
      • Hollenberg is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20 people
    • Barnes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Palmer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Haddam
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haddam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddam
      • Haddam is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Haddam has also been known as:
      • Haddam City
      • West Haddam
    • Lanham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kimeo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kimeo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimeo
      • Kimeo is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kimeo
      • From Washington to Kimeo
    • Chepstow
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chepstow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepstow
      • Chepstow is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chepstow
      • From Washington to Chepstow
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Garfield Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Oscar ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Morganville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Green
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Clay Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Cloud County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Clyde
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyde have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
      • Clyde is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 647 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <2>
    • Ames
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Joseph
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Bremen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Alcove Spring ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Marysville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Blue Rapids
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Rapids
      • Blue Rapids is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Rapids <2>
    • Carden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carden
      • Carden is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carden
      • From Washington to Carden
    • Marietta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marietta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Marietta is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marietta
      • From Washington to Marietta
    • Oketo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Irving ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Irving. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
      • Irving is located in Marshall County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Irving
      • From Washington to Irving
    • Home
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Winifred
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Republic County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Agenda
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Agenda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agenda
      • Agenda is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Cuba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuba have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <2>
    • Narka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Munden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Belleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
      • Belleville is located in Republic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,841 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belleville <2>
  • Riley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • May Day
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Winkler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Winkler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkler
      • Winkler is located in Riley County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Winkler
      • From Washington to Winkler
    • Lasita ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Randolph
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Gage County (NE)
  • Jefferson County (NE)
  • Thayer County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Hubbell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hubbell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbell
      • Hubbell is located in Thayer County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hubbell <2>
    • Gilead
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
      • Gilead is located in Thayer County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 37 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilead <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Washington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Washington.

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

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Washington had a population of 1,613 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Washington had a population of 1,065 people.

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

  • Enosdale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enosdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enosdale
    • Enosdale is located in Washington County
  • Morrowville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Greenleaf
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenleaf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
    • Greenleaf is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenleaf <2>
  • Linn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Hanover
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
    • Hanover is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hanover <2>
  • Spence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spence
    • Spence is located in Washington County
  • Barnes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hollenberg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollenberg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollenberg
    • Hollenberg is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 20 people
  • Strawberry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
    • Strawberry is located in Washington County
  • Palmer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Haddam
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haddam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddam
    • Haddam is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Haddam has also been known as:
    • Haddam City
    • West Haddam
  • Kimeo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kimeo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimeo
    • Kimeo is located in Washington County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Kimeo
    • From Washington to Kimeo
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Washington ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Washington.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Washington. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Washington and those printed in the larger area surrounding Washington.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Washington.

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 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 Washington:

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

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Washington, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Washington) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Washington. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8175, Longitude: -97.0513    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025