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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 Dawson Springs (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 Dawson Springs. 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 Dawson Springs ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Dawson Springs: Dawson Spgs. (or less commonly used: Dawson Spngs. or Dawson Sprngs.)

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Dawson Springs is primarily located in Hopkins County. A portion of Dawson Springs extends into Caldwell County.

To see how the shape of Kentucky's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hopkins County: Caldwell, Christian, Crittenden, McLean, Muhlenberg & Webster.

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

  • Hopkins County     (The home county of Dawson Springs)
  • Caldwell County
  • Christian County
  • Crittenden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson Springs, with the one closest to Dawson Springs listed first.
    • Piney Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Crayne
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crayne have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crayne
      • Crayne is located in Crittenden County
    • Marion
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Crittenden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Dycusburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dycusburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dycusburg
      • Dycusburg is located in Crittenden County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 26 people
    • Sheridan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sheridan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
      • Sheridan is located in Crittenden County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sheridan
      • From Dawson Springs to Sheridan
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson Springs, with the one closest to Dawson Springs listed first.
    • Pinckneyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Tiline
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiline have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiline
      • Tiline is located in Livingston County
  • Lyon County
  • McLean County
    • Sacramento
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacramento have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento
      • Sacramento is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sacramento <1>
  • Muhlenberg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson Springs, with the one closest to Dawson Springs listed first.
    • Earles
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Earles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earles
      • Earles is located in Muhlenberg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Earles
      • From Dawson Springs to Earles
    • Graham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Graham is located in Muhlenberg County
    • Bancroft
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Bancroft is located in Muhlenberg County
    • Depoy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Depoy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depoy
      • Depoy is located in Muhlenberg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Depoy
      • From Dawson Springs to Depoy
    • Luzerne
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Nebo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nebo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
      • Nebo is located in Muhlenberg County
    • Lynn City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynn City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn City
      • Lynn City is located in Muhlenberg County
    • Greenville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Powderly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powderly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderly
      • Powderly is located in Muhlenberg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 736 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Powderly <1>
    • Bremen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bremen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bremen
      • Bremen is located in Muhlenberg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 188 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bremen <1>
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson Springs, with the one closest to Dawson Springs listed first.
    • Kirkmansville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Allegre
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allegre have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allegre
      • Allegre is located in Todd County
  • Trigg County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson Springs, with the one closest to Dawson Springs listed first.
    • Sullivan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sullivan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Sullivan is located in Union County
    • Sturgis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturgis have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
      • Sturgis is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,792 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <1>
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson Springs, with the one closest to Dawson Springs listed first.
    • Providence
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
      • Providence is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,986 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Providence <1>
    • Lisman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Clay
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clay have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
      • Clay is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,091 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clay <1>
    • Vanderburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Dixon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dixon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
      • Dixon is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
    • Blackford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackford
      • Blackford is located in Webster County
    • Wheatcroft
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheatcroft have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatcroft
      • Wheatcroft is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Free Union
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Slaughters
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • West Wheatcroft
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Onton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onton
      • Onton is located in Webster County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Onton
      • From Dawson Springs to Onton

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

Cemeteries Near Dawson Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dawson Springs.

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

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

  • Ausenbaugh Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ausenbaugh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ausenbaugh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Menser Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Menser Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Menser Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosedale Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Dunn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Creekmur Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Hunter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hunter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hunter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Piney Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Vanhooser Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vanhooser Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vanhooser Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shyflat Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shyflat Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shyflat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McNeely Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McNeely Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McNeely Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Witherspoon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Witherspoon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Witherspoon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hamby Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (420 more) ...
    • Union Temple Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Temple Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Temple Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Young Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Young Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Young Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Stallins Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stallins Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stallins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

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

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

  • Ilsley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ilsley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilsley
    • Ilsley is located in Hopkins County
  • Claxton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claxton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claxton
    • Claxton is located in Caldwell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Claxton
    • From Dawson Springs to Claxton
  • Saint Charles
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Friendship
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
    • Friendship is located in Caldwell County
  • Scottsburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
    • Scottsburg is located in Caldwell County
  • Dalton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Princeton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • McGowan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McGowan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGowan
    • McGowan is located in Caldwell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to McGowan
    • From Dawson Springs to McGowan
  • Mannington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mannington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannington
    • Mannington is located in Christian County
  • Rufus
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rufus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
    • Rufus is located in Caldwell County
  • Otter Pond
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter Pond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Pond
    • Otter Pond is located in Caldwell County
  • Bainbridge
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Era
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Era have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Era
      • Era is located in Christian County
    • Empire
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Empire. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
      • Empire is located in Christian County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Empire
      • From Dawson Springs to Empire
    • Mortons Gap
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Dawson Springs ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dawson Springs.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Dawson Springs. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Dawson Springs and those printed in the larger area surrounding Dawson Springs.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6> of Dawson Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Dawson Springs:

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

The official website for State of Kentucky: https://kentucky.gov/

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>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.
<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 Dawson Springs, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dawson Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dawson Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1695, Longitude: -87.6906    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025