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 Zenda (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 Zenda. 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 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.
Zenda is located in Kingman 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 Kingman County: Barber, Harper, Pratt, Reno, Sedgwick & Sumner.
Below are the counties that are near Zenda. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Zenda:
- Kingman County (The home county of Zenda)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Willowdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Willowdale is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowdale
- Spivey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Spivey is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spivey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
- Nashville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nashville is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Rago
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rago is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rago
- Alameda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Alameda is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alameda
- Adams
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Adams is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Belmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Belmont is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Kingman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cunningham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cunningham is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
- Penalosa
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Penalosa is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penalosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18 people
- Murdock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Murdock is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
- Norwich
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Barber County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Isabel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Isabel is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Sharon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sharon is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
- Former name for Sharon:
- Bible Valley
- Pixley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pixley is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
- Medicine Lodge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Elm Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Elm Mills is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Mills
- Mingona
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Mingona is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
- Gerlane
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gerlane is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerlane
- Hazelton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Hazelton is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Forest City ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Forest City is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Lake City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lake City is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Harper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Duquoin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Duquoin is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duquoin
- Attica
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Harper
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Crisfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Crisfield is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisfield
- Runnymede
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Runnymede is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runnymede
- Anthony
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Danville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Danville is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
- Danville has also been known as:
- Coalville
- Ruella
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Ruella is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruella
- Freeport
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Freeport is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Estimated population in 2019: 4 people
- Pratt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Cairo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cairo is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
- Sawyer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sawyer is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Preston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Preston is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Natrona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Natrona is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
- Pratt
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Coats
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Coats is located in Pratt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
- Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- Reno County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Lerado
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lerado is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lerado
- Jordan Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Jordan Springs is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan Springs
- Turon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Turon is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
- Former name for Turon:
- Pioneer City
- Pretty Prairie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Langdon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Langdon is located in Reno County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41 people
- Sedgwick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Anness
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Anness is located in Sedgwick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anness
- Cheney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sumner County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Milton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Milton is located in Sumner County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Argonia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Zenda, see our County-by-County Page for Zenda.
Cemeteries Near Zenda ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Zenda.
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 Zenda - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Zenda covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- St. Johns Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Nichols Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Old Bross Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- St. John Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Burgess Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Duquoin Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cleveland Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Baird Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Rago Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- West Point Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (67 more) ...
- Mumford Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hunt Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- St. Boniface Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Zenda had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Zenda had a population of 76 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
- Spivey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Spivey is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spivey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
- Nashville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nashville is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Rago
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rago is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rago
- Cleveland ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cleveland is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Duquoin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Duquoin is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duquoin
- Calista ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Calista is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calista
- Attica
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Crystal Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Crystal Springs is located in Harper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Springs
- Alameda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Alameda is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alameda
- Isabel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Isabel is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Sharon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sharon is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
- Former name for Sharon:
- Bible Valley
- Belmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Belmont is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Cunningham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cunningham is located in Kingman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
- Kingman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pixley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pixley is located in Barber County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Zenda. See our List of 1890's Communities around Zenda.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Zenda ...
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 147 newspapers that have been published in the area around Zenda.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Zenda. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Zenda and those printed in the larger area surrounding Zenda.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Zenda.
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 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 Zenda:
- Websites specific to Kansas
- Pages specific to Kingman County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barber County
- Harper County
- Pratt County
- Reno County
- Sedgwick County
- Sumner 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 Zenda, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Zenda) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |