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 West Johnson (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 West Johnson. 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.
Name Variations for West Johnson ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
West Johnson has also been known as: Johnstown.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
West Johnson is located in McPherson 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 McPherson County: Dickinson, Ellsworth, Harvey, Marion, Reno, Rice & Saline.
Below are the counties that are near West Johnson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Johnson:
- McPherson County (The home county of West Johnson)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Lindsborg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- McPherson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Marquette
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Galva
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Conway
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Conway is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
- Roxbury
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Roxbury is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Elyria
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Elyria is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elyria
- Groveland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Groveland is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland
- Windom
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Windom is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Canton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Inman
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Moundridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dickinson County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Carlton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Carlton is located in Dickinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Elmo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elmo is located in Dickinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
- Holland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Holland is located in Dickinson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Ellsworth County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Langley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Langley is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
- Venango
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Venango is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venango
- Yankee Run
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Yankee Run is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Run
- Terra Cotta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Terra Cotta is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terra Cotta
- Carneiro ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Carneiro is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carneiro
- Midway
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Midway is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Kanopolis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Frantz ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Frantz is located in Ellsworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frantz
- Harvey County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Alta Mills ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Alta Mills is located in Harvey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Mills
- Hesston
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Waldeck
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Waldeck is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldeck
- Lehigh
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lehigh is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehigh
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Durham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Durham is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
- Goessel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Goessel is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goessel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
- Hillsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Tampa
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Reno County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Buhler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Buhler is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buhler
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,269 people
- Buhler has also been known as:
- Tulip Town
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buhler <1>
- Medora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Medora is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medora
- Rice County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Crawford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Crawford is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Little River
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Galt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Galt is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
- Mitchell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Mitchell is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Geneseo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Saxman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Saxman is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
- Pollard ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Pollard is located in Rice County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollard
- Lyons
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Saline County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Bridgeport
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bridgeport is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Assaria
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Falun
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hallville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hallville is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallville
- Salemsborg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Salemsborg is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemsborg
- Smolan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Smolan is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smolan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
- Mentor
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Mentor is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor
- Phillips Village ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Phillips Village is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Village
- Gypsum
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bavaria
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Bavaria is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bavaria
- Bavaria has also been known as:
- Houch
- Brookville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Salina
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Kipp
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Kipp is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipp
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Johnson, see our County-by-County Page for West Johnson.
Cemeteries Near West Johnson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Johnson.
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 West Johnson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Johnson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Koons Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koons Cemetery
- The Koons Cemetery has also been known as:
- Koon Cemetery
- Crestwood Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Smoky Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoky Hill Cemetery
- The Smoky Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Kentucky Creek Cemetery
- Elmwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Fairview Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Smoky Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Zion Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Excelsior Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- McPherson Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Swenson Gravesite
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgeport Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bridgeport Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Bridgeport.
- The Bridgeport Cemetery has also been known as:
- Husted Family Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2185179 <2>
- Continue List (102 more) ...
- Marquette Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Elim Lutheran Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Windom Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, West Johnson had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Johnson, with the one closest to West Johnson listed first.
- Hilton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hilton is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton
- Lindsborg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Freemount
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Freemount is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freemount
- Freemount has also been known as:
- Freemont City
- McPherson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Bridgeport
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bridgeport is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Marquette
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Conway
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Conway is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
- Galva
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Falun
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hallville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hallville is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallville
- Assaria
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Windom
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Windom is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Groveland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Groveland is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland
- Elyria
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Elyria is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elyria
- Roxbury
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Roxbury is located in McPherson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Johnson. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Johnson.
Newspapers Published in West Johnson ...
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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Johnson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Johnson, 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 West Johnson.
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 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 West Johnson:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to McPherson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dickinson County
- Ellsworth County
- Harvey County
- Marion County
- Reno County
- Rice County
- Saline 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 West Johnson, 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- West Johnson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |