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The Commemorative Quarter for Kentucky





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 Westplains (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 Westplains. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Westplains is located in Graves 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 Graves County: Calloway, Carlisle, Hickman, Marshall, McCracken, Henry (TN) & Weakley (TN).

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

  • Graves County     (The home county of Westplains)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Hickory
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
      • Hickory is located in Graves County
    • Boaz
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • West Viola
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mayfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Symsonia
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Symsonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Symsonia
      • Symsonia is located in Graves County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Symsonia <2>
    • Pottsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Lowes
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Melber
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Farmington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
      • Farmington is located in Graves County
    • Pryorsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fancy Farm
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fancy Farm have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Farm
      • Fancy Farm is located in Graves County
    • Sedalia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Wingo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wingo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingo
      • Wingo is located in Graves County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 621 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wingo <2>
  • Ballard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Lovelaceville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelaceville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelaceville
      • Lovelaceville is located in Ballard County
    • Gage
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Ceredo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Blandville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blandville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandville
      • Blandville is located in Ballard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Kevil
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kevil have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kevil
      • Kevil is located in Ballard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kevil <2>
    • La Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Center
      • La Center is located in Ballard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Center <2>
    • Wickliffe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Bandana
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Barlow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barlow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
      • Barlow is located in Ballard County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
  • Calloway County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Kirksey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirksey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirksey
      • Kirksey is located in Calloway County
    • Dexter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dexter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
      • Dexter is located in Calloway County
    • Protemus
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Almo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almo
      • Almo is located in Calloway County
    • Harris Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Murray
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hazel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Providence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • New Concord
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Carlisle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Kirbyton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Milburn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Cunningham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cunningham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cunningham
      • Cunningham is located in Carlisle County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cunningham <2>
    • Arlington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Carlisle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
    • Bardwell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Fulton County
  • Hickman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Fulgham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Spring Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Clinton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Clinton is located in Hickman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <2>
    • Moscow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Moscow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
      • Moscow is located in Hickman County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Moscow
      • From Westplains to Moscow
    • Columbus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Ledbetter
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ledbetter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledbetter
      • Ledbetter is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ledbetter <2>
    • Grand Rivers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Rivers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Rivers
      • Grand Rivers is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Rivers <2>
    • Lake City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Tiline
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tiline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiline
      • Tiline is located in Livingston County
  • Lyon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Carmack
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carmack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmack
      • Carmack is located in Lyon County
    • Kuttawa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Marshall County
  • McCracken County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Krebs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Reidland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Hendron
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendron
      • Hendron is located in McCracken County
    • Oakdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lone Oak
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lone Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Oak
      • Lone Oak is located in McCracken County
    • Massac
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Massac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac
      • Massac is located in McCracken County
    • Camelia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Paducah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Future City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Future City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Future City
      • Future City is located in McCracken County
    • West Paducah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Paducah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Paducah
      • West Paducah is located in McCracken County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Paducah <2>
    • West Future City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Future City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Future City
      • West Future City is located in McCracken County
    • Grahamville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cimota City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cimota City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimota City
      • Cimota City is located in McCracken County
  • Massac County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Brookport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookport
      • Brookport is located in Massac County (IL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 815 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookport <2>
    • Shady Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Unionville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Unionville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
      • Unionville is located in Massac County (IL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Unionville
      • From Westplains to Unionville
    • Massac City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Massac City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac City
      • Massac City is located in Massac County (IL)
    • Metropolis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Joppa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joppa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa
      • Joppa is located in Massac County (IL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Joppa <2>
  • Pope County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Hamletsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Bay City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bay City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
      • Bay City is located in Pope County (IL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bay City
      • From Westplains to Bay City
  • Henry County (TN)
  • Obion County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • South Fulton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fulton
      • South Fulton is located in Obion County (TN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Fulton <2>
    • Pierce Station
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Weakley County (TN)

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

Cemeteries Near Westplains ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westplains.

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Westplains had no post office or railroad service.

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

  • Hickory
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
    • Hickory is located in Graves County
  • Clear Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
    • Clear Springs is located in Graves County
  • Viola
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
    • Viola is located in Graves County
  • Boaz
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Kaler
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kaler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaler
    • Kaler is located in Graves County
  • Folsomdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Folsomdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
    • Folsomdale is located in Graves County
  • Mayfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Oak Level
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Level have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
    • Oak Level is located in Marshall County
  • Symsonia
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Symsonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Symsonia
    • Symsonia is located in Graves County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Symsonia <2>
  • Pottsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Harvey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
    • Harvey is located in Marshall County
  • Elva
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elva
    • Elva is located in Marshall County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Kansas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kansas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas
      • Kansas is located in Graves County
    • Backusburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Backusburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Backusburg
      • Backusburg is located in Calloway County
    • Oaks
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaks
      • Oaks is located in McCracken County

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

Newspapers Published in Westplains ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westplains.

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

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 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 Westplains:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Westplains) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westplains. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.8255, Longitude: -88.5950       In this case, the coordinates for Westplains have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Westplains, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025