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 Hays (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 Hays. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.
Hays is located in Warren County.
To see how the shape of Kentucky's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Warren County: Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Logan & Simpson.
Below are the counties that are near Hays. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hays:
- Warren County (The home county of Hays)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Smiths Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Oakland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oakland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Martinsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Martinsville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Claypool
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Claypool is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Gotts
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gotts is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotts
- Plum Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Plum Springs is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
- Alvaton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Anna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Anna is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
- Bowling Green
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Bowling Green is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowling Green
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70,631 people
- Former names for Bowling Green:
- Bolin Green
- McFadden's Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowling Green <1>
- Richardsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Richardsville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardsville
- Springhill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Springhill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springhill
- Drake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Drake is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Meador
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meador is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Yesse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Yesse is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yesse
- Cedar Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Cedar Springs is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
- Halifax
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Halifax is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
- Halfway
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Halfway is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Scottsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Trammel
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Trammel is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammel
- Oak Forest
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Oak Forest is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
- Pope
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pope is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pope
- Red Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Red Hill is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Holland
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Holland is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Mount Aerial
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Aerial is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Aerial
- Barren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Park City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beckton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Beckton is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckton
- Rocky Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Hill is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Oil City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Oil City is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Highland Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Springs is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Springs
- Haywood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Haywood is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haywood
- Lucas
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Glasgow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Cave City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Coral Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Coral Hill is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral Hill
- Austin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Austin is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
- Etoile
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Etoile is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etoile
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Whittinghill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Whittinghill is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittinghill
- Jetson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jetson is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jetson
- Brooklyn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brooklyn is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Woodbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Woodbury is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
- Richelieu
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Richelieu is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richelieu
- Edmonson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Rocky Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Rocky Hill is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Union City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Union City is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Rhoda
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rhoda is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoda
- Mammoth Cave
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Brownsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Stockholm
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Stockholm is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockholm
- Lindseyville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lindseyville is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindseyville
- Kyrock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Kyrock is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyrock
- Sweeden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sweeden is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeden
- Bee Spring
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Huff
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Huff is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
- Roundhill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Roundhill is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roundhill
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Wheelers Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Wheelers Mill is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelers Mill
- Peonia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Peonia is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peonia
- Higdon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Higdon is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higdon
- Shrewsbury
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Shrewsbury is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shrewsbury
- Hardin County
- Spurrier
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Spurrier is located in Hardin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurrier
- Hart County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Horse Cave
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Winesap
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Winesap is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Logsdon Valley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Logsdon Valley is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logsdon Valley
- Cub Run
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Rowletts
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Rowletts is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowletts
- Dogcreek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Dogcreek is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogcreek
- Munfordville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bunnell Crossing
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Bunnell Crossing is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunnell Crossing
- Three Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Three Springs is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Springs
- Hardyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hardyville is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardyville
- Priceville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Priceville is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priceville
- Pascal
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pascal is located in Hart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pascal
- Logan County
- South Union
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Metcalfe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Knob Lick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Knob Lick is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Lick
- Randolph
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Randolph is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
- Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Center is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center
- Summer Shade
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Edmonton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Beaumont
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Beaumont is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Cedar Flat
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Cedar Flat is located in Metcalfe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Flat
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Fountain Run
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hermon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Hermon is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hermon
- Mud Lick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mud Lick is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Lick
- Akersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Akersville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
- Forkton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Forkton is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkton
- Simpson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Gold City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Gold City is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold City
- Salmons
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Salmons is located in Simpson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmons
- Sumner County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Sugar Grove is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Fairfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fairfield is located in Sumner County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hays, see our County-by-County Page for Hays.
Cemeteries Near Hays ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hays.
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 Hays - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hays covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Hays Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Merry Oaks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Shiloh General Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Moon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Allen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Smith's Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Plain View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lambert Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- France Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Woolsey Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (285 more) ...
- Martinsville Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Henderson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
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, Hays had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hays, with the one closest to Hays listed first.
- Rocky Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Rocky Hill is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Hydro
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hydro is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydro
- Smiths Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Three Forks
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Three Forks is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
- Oakland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oakland is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Pig
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Pig is located in Edmonson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pig
- Rocky Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Hill is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Hill
- Polkville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Polkville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Oil City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Oil City is located in Barren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Meador
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meador is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Sunnyside
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sunnyside is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Claypool
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Claypool is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Mammoth Cave
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Motley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Motley is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
- Settle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Settle is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settle
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hays. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hays.
Newspapers Published in Hays ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hays.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hays, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hays.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Hays:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to Warren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allen County
- Barren County
- Butler County
- Edmonson County
- Grayson County
- Hardin County
- Hart County
- Logan County
- Metcalfe County
- Monroe County
- Simpson County
- Sumner County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kentucky
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 Hays, 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 from Point A (ie- Hays) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |