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 West Paducah (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 West Paducah. 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 West Paducah ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Paducah: W. Paducah
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.
West Paducah is located in McCracken 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 McCracken County: Massac (IL), Ballard, Carlisle, Graves, Livingston & Marshall.
Below are the counties that are near West Paducah. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Paducah:
- McCracken County (The home county of West Paducah)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Grahamville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grahamville is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahamville
- Future City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Future City is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Future City
- West Future City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- West Future City is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Future City
- Camelia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Camelia is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelia
- Massac
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Massac is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac
- Lone Oak
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lone Oak is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Oak
- Cimota City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cimota City is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimota City
- Paducah
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Hendron
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hendron is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendron
- Woodville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Woodville is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Ragland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ragland is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragland
- Krebs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Krebs is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krebs
- Oakdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Oakdale is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
- Ballard County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Ceredo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ceredo is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceredo
- Kevil
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Lovelaceville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lovelaceville is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelaceville
- Gage
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gage is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gage
- Bandana
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bandana is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandana
- La Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Blandville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Blandville is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Barlow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Barlow is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
- Wickliffe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Carlisle County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Cunningham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kirbyton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Kirbyton is located in Carlisle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirbyton
- Bardwell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Milburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Milburn is located in Carlisle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburn
- Arlington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington is located in Carlisle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
- Graves County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Melber
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Melber is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melber
- Lowes
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Lowes is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowes
- Boaz
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pottsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Pottsville is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsville
- West Viola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- West Viola is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Viola
- Symsonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Hickory is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Fancy Farm
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Fancy Farm is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Farm
- Westplains
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Westplains is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westplains
- Mayfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pryorsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pryorsburg is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pryorsburg
- Wingo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hickman County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Spring Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Hill is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Columbus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Columbus is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
- Fulgham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fulgham is located in Hickman County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulgham
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Ledbetter
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Smithland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Burna
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Burna is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burna
- Hampton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hampton is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Grand Rivers
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lake City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lake City is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Pinckneyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Pinckneyville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
- Tiline
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Tiline is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiline
- Lola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lola is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola
- Carrsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Carrsville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
- Salem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Sharpe
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sharpe is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpe
- Calvert City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Calvert City is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvert City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,509 people
- Calvert City has also been known as:
- Calvert
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calvert City <1>
- Gilbertsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Scale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Scale is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scale
- Benton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tatumsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tatumsville is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tatumsville
- Dogtown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dogtown is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogtown
- Alexander County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Cairo Junction
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cairo Junction is located in Alexander County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo Junction
- Cairo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cairo is located in Alexander County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,989 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cairo <1>
- Future City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Future City is located in Alexander County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Future City
- Cache
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Frog City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Frog City is located in Alexander County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog City
- Hodges Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hodges Park is located in Alexander County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodges Park
- Unity
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Tamms
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tamms is located in Alexander County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamms
- Population from the 2020 Census: 449 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tamms <1>
- Hardin County (IL)
- Shetlerville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shetlerville is located in Hardin County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shetlerville
- Johnson County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Reevesville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Reevesville is located in Johnson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reevesville
- Belknap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bender ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Bender is located in Johnson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bender
- Grantsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Wartrace
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Wartrace is located in Johnson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartrace
- Vienna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cypress
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Simpson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Reynoldsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Reynoldsburg is located in Johnson County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsburg
- Buncombe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Massac County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Massac City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Massac City is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac City
- Metropolis
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Brookport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shady Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Shady Grove is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Joppa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Unionville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Unionville is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- New Columbia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- New Columbia is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
- Big Bay
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Big Bay is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
- Pope County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Hamletsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bay City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bay City is located in Pope County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
- Dixon Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Dixon Springs is located in Pope County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
- Rock
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Rock is located in Pope County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
- Golconda
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Glendale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Glendale is located in Pope County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Eddyville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pulaski County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Grand Chain
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Karnak
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Grand Chain
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Grand Chain is located in Pulaski County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Grand Chain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
- Olmsted
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Mound City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Perks
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mounds
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mounds is located in Pulaski County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounds
- Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
- Villa Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Villa Ridge is located in Pulaski County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Ridge
- Ullin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pulaski
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Union County (IL)
- Dongola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Paducah, see our County-by-County Page for West Paducah.
Cemeteries Near West Paducah ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Paducah.
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 West Paducah - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Paducah covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Quarles Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Palestine Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Cowlin Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Rives Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stanley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Graham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kelley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bumpous Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Scott Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hills Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (488 more) ...
- Massac Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Highland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hopper Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<2>
While we didn't find West Paducah in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Paducah.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Paducah, with the one closest to West Paducah listed first.
- Grahamville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grahamville is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahamville
- Massac
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Massac is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac
- Metropolis
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Paducah
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Woodville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Woodville is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Lovelaceville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lovelaceville is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelaceville
- Melber
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Melber is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melber
- Ragland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ragland is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragland
- Hinkleville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hinkleville is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinkleville
- Joppa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Unionville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Unionville is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Round Knob
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Round Knob is located in Massac County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Knob
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Bandana
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bandana is located in Ballard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandana
- Kansas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Kansas is located in Graves County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas
- Epperson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Epperson is located in McCracken County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epperson
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Paducah. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Paducah.
Newspapers Published in West Paducah ...
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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Paducah.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Paducah, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Paducah.
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 West Paducah:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to McCracken County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ballard County
- Carlisle County
- Graves County
- Hickman County
- Livingston County
- Marshall County
- Alexander County
- Hardin County
- Johnson County
- Massac County
- Pope County
- Pulaski County
- Union 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> | 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 West Paducah, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- West Paducah) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |