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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 Wells (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 Wells. 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.

Wells is located in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County: Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Lincoln, Mitchell & Saline.

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

  • Ottawa County     (The home county of Wells)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Ackley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Vine Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vine Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Creek
      • Vine Creek is located in Ottawa County
      • Former name for Vine Creek:
      • Vine
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vine Creek
      • From Wells to Vine Creek
    • Bennington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Lindsey
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lamar
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lamar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Ottawa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lamar
      • From Wells to Lamar
    • Minneapolis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Alfmil
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Verdi
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Niles
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Brewer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewer
      • Brewer is located in Ottawa County
    • Delphos
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Culver
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Longford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Oak Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Browndale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Browndale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browndale
      • Browndale is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Browndale
      • From Wells to Browndale
    • Industry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Idana
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Idana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idana
      • Idana is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Idana
      • From Wells to Idana
    • Ladysmith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ladysmith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladysmith
      • Ladysmith is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ladysmith
      • From Wells to Ladysmith
    • Clay Center
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wakefield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Broughton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Broughton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughton
      • Broughton is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Broughton
      • From Wells to Broughton
    • Morganville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Cloud County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Miltonvale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Aurora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
    • Glasco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glasco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasco
      • Glasco is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 448 people
      • Former names for Glasco:
      • Dell Ray
      • Glasgow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glasco <2>
    • Huscher
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Saint Joseph
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Simpson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simpson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
      • Simpson is located in Cloud County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 78 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Simpson <2>
    • Macyville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macyville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macyville
      • Macyville is located in Cloud County
    • Cook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook
      • Cook is located in Cloud County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cook
      • From Wells to Cook
    • Concordia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Rice
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Ames
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Dickinson County
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • Milo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Milo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
      • Milo is located in Lincoln County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Milo
      • From Wells to Milo
    • Beverly
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beverly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
      • Beverly is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Barnard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnard
      • Barnard is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Quartzite
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Mitchell County
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
    • New Cambria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Cambria. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cambria
      • New Cambria is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Cambria
      • From Wells to New Cambria
    • Salina
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Glendale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Kipp
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bavaria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mentor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Phillips Village ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillips Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Village
      • Phillips Village is located in Saline County
    • Smolan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smolan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smolan
      • Smolan is located in Saline County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
    • Gypsum
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Brookville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Wells ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wells.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells 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 in 1895, Wells had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Lindsey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bennington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Minneapolis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Lamar
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lamar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
    • Lamar is located in Ottawa County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lamar
    • From Wells to Lamar
  • Verdi
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Sumnerville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sumnerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
    • Sumnerville is located in Ottawa County
  • Niles
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Manchester
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Longford
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Brewer
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brewer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewer
    • Brewer is located in Ottawa County
  • Oak Hill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Delphos
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Miltonvale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Culver
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Shipton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shipton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipton
      • Shipton is located in Saline County

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

Newspapers Published in Wells ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wells.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wells, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wells.

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 Wells:

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

The official website for Ottawa County: www.ottawacounty.org/

The official website for State of Kansas: https://portal.kansas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Wells, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Wells) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wells. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1412, Longitude: -97.5503    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025