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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 Zook (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 Zook. 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 and 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.

Zook is located in Pawnee 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 Pawnee County: Barton, Edwards, Hodgeman, Ness, Rush & Stafford.

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

  • Pawnee County     (The home county of Zook)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Larned
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Garfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Garfield is located in Pawnee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Ray ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ray is located in Pawnee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
    • Ash Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Ash Valley is located in Pawnee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Valley
    • Rozel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Rozel is located in Pawnee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
    • Burdett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Burdett is located in Pawnee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdett
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 219 people
  • Barton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Pawnee Rock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Dundee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Dundee is located in Barton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
    • Anchorway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Anchorway is located in Barton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anchorway
    • Albert
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Great Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Heizer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Heizer is located in Barton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heizer
  • Edwards County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Belpre
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Belpre is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belpre
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
    • Lewis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Nettleton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Nettleton is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleton
    • Trousdale ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Trousdale is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trousdale
    • Fellsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Fellsburg is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellsburg
    • Centerview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Centerview is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerview
    • Kinsley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Williams ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Williams is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams
    • Hodges
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Hodges is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodges
    • Ardell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ardell is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardell
    • Offerle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Offerle is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Offerle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
  • Kiowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Haviland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Wellsford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Wellsford is located in Kiowa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsford
  • Pratt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Byers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Byers is located in Pratt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33 people
    • Iuka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Iuka is located in Pratt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
  • Rush County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Timken
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Timken is located in Rush County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timken
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
    • Rush Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Stafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zook, with the one closest to Zook listed first.
    • Macksville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Radium
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Radium is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radium
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
    • Seward
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Seward is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
    • Saint John
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Hudson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Hudson is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Stafford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Stafford is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 920 people
      • Stafford has also been known as:
      • Stafford Center
      • Stafford City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stafford <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Zook ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Zook.

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 Zook - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Zook covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    • The Pleasant Valley Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pratt Cemetery
    • Zook Cemetery
  • Belpre Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belpre Cemetery
    • The Belpre Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Bernards Catholic Cemetery
  • Wayne Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Larned Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larned Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Larned Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Larned.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #92858 <2>
  • Farmington Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Township Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Fertig Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Garfield Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Pt. View Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Ft. Larned Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Prattsburg Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Neelands Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (51 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Zook in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Zook.

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

  • Belpre
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Belpre is located in Edwards County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belpre
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
  • Larned
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Garfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Garfield is located in Pawnee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
  • Macksville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Ray ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ray is located in Pawnee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
  • Lewis
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Dillwyn
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dillwyn is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillwyn
  • Nettleton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Nettleton is located in Edwards County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleton
  • Pawnee Rock
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Fellsburg
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Fellsburg is located in Edwards County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fellsburg
  • Seward
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Seward is located in Stafford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
  • Ash Valley
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Ash Valley is located in Pawnee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Valley
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Saint John
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Kinsley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Rozel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Rozel is located in Pawnee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people

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

Newspapers Published in Zook ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Zook.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Zook, 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 Zook.

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 helpful 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 Zook:

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 Zook, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Zook) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.