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 Ruth (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 Ruth. 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 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.
Ruth is located in Caldwell 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 Caldwell County: Christian, Crittenden, Hopkins, Lyon & Trigg.
Below are the counties that are near Ruth. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ruth:
- Caldwell County (The home county of Ruth)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Claxton
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Claxton is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claxton
- Lewistown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lewistown is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown
- McGowan
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- McGowan is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGowan
- Princeton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cobb
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cobb is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
- Hopson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hopson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopson
- Crider
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Crider is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crider
- Dulaney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Dulaney is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dulaney
- Creswell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Creswell is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
- Fredonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Christian County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Bainbridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bainbridge is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge
- Empire
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Empire is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
- Crofton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Gracey
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gracey is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gracey
- Newstead
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Newstead is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newstead
- Hopkinsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fearsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Fearsville is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearsville
- Church Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Church Hill is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
- Bluff Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bluff Spring is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Spring
- Herndon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Herndon is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
- Bennettstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bennettstown is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennettstown
- Fairview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Crittenden County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Piney Fork
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Piney Fork is located in Crittenden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Fork
- Crayne
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Crayne is located in Crittenden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crayne
- Marion
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Dycusburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Dycusburg is located in Crittenden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dycusburg
- Population from the 2010 Census: 26 people
- Sheridan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sheridan is located in Crittenden County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Hopkins County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Dawson Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Charleston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Charleston is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Saint Charles
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Charles is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
- Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
- Fiddle Bow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fiddle Bow is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiddle Bow
- Dalton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Dalton is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
- Richland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Richland is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Nortonville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Earlington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mortons Gap
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Nebo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Nebo is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Madisonville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Grand Rivers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lake City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lake City is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Pinckneyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Pinckneyville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
- Tiline
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Tiline is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiline
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lyon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Lamasco
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lamasco is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamasco
- Fairview
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Eddyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Carmack
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Carmack is located in Lyon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmack
- Kuttawa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Marshall County
- Gilbertsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Muhlenberg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Bancroft
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Bancroft is located in Muhlenberg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Graham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Graham is located in Muhlenberg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
- Earles
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Earles is located in Muhlenberg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earles
- Depoy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Depoy is located in Muhlenberg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depoy
- Luzerne
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Luzerne is located in Muhlenberg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luzerne
- Todd County
- Kirkmansville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kirkmansville is located in Todd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkmansville
- Trigg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Cerulean
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wallonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Wallonia is located in Trigg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallonia
- Cadiz
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Trigg Furnace
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Trigg Furnace is located in Trigg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trigg Furnace
- Caledonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Caledonia is located in Trigg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Canton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Canton is located in Trigg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Union County
- Sullivan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sullivan is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Providence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lisman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lisman is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisman
- Clay
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Blackford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Blackford is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackford
- Vanderburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Vanderburg is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanderburg
- West Wheatcroft
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- West Wheatcroft is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wheatcroft
- Wheatcroft
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Wheatcroft is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatcroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Dixon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Dixon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 877 people
- Free Union
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Free Union is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Union
- Slaughters
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Slaughters is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slaughters
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ruth, see our County-by-County Page for Ruth.
Cemeteries Near Ruth ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruth.
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 Ruth - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ruth covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Lamb Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Glass Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Cook Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Hunter Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Vanhooser Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Piney Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Stallins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dance Nichols Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Baker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Howard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Witherspoon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ausenbaugh Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (439 more) ...
- Nichols Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Scarberry Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lamb Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
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 Ruth in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ruth.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Claxton
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Claxton is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claxton
- Friendship
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Friendship is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Scottsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Scottsburg is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
- McGowan
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- McGowan is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGowan
- Otter Pond
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Otter Pond is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Pond
- Princeton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cobb
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cobb is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
- Hopson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hopson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopson
- Bainbridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bainbridge is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge
- Ilsley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ilsley is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilsley
- White Sulphur
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- White Sulphur is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Sulphur
- Wallonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Wallonia is located in Trigg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallonia
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Era
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Era is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Era
- Saint Charles
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Charles is located in Hopkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
- Population from the 2020 Census: 269 people
- Rufus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ruth. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ruth.
Newspapers Published in Ruth ...
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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruth.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruth, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruth.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Ruth:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to Caldwell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Christian County
- Crittenden County
- Hopkins County
- Livingston County
- Lyon County
- Marshall County
- Muhlenberg County
- Todd County
- Trigg County
- Union County
- Webster 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 Ruth, 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- Ruth) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |