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 Lee's Summit (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 Lee's Summit. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Lee's Summit is primarily located in Cass County. A portion of Lee's Summit extends into Jackson County.
To see how the shape of Missouri's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cass County: Johnson (KS), Miami (KS), Bates, Henry, Jackson & Johnson.
Below are the counties that are near Lee's Summit. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lee's Summit:
- Cass County (The home county of Lee's Summit)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Lake Winnebago
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lake Winnebago is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Winnebago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,370 people
- Raymore
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Belton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coleman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Coleman is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Baldwin Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Baldwin Park is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
- Harrelson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Harrelson is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrelson
- Loch Lloyd
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Loch Lloyd is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loch Lloyd
- Population from the 2020 Census: 835 people
- Loch Lloyd has also been known as:
- Loch Lloyd village
- Riverview Estates
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview Estates is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Estates
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- Riverview Estates has also been known as:
- Riverview Estates village
- Peculiar
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Strasburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harrisonville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- East Lynne
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Sugar Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Birmingham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Birmingham is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
- East Kansas City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- East Kansas City is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Kansas City
- Minaville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Minaville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minaville
- Randolph
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Randolph is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
- Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
- Avondale
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Avondale is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
- North Kansas City
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Woodhill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Woodhill is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodhill
- Claycomo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Claycomo is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claycomo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,526 people
- Glenaire
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Glenaire is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenaire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 583 people
- Pleasant Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
- Oaks
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oaks is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Oakwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Unity Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Unity Village is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
- Little Blue
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Little Blue is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Blue
- Greenwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Raytown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Lotawana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lake Tapawingo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Tapawingo is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Tapawingo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 719 people
- Grandview
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cockrell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cockrell is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cockrell
- Belvidere
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Belvidere is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvidere
- Holmes Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Holmes Park is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes Park
- Holmes Park has also been known as:
- Holmes
- Blue Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Grain Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Indian Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Indian Village is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Kingsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- La Tour
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- La Tour is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Tour
- Latour
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Latour is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latour
- Holden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Columbus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Columbus is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Greendoor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Greendoor is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendoor
- Quick City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Quick City is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick City
- Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Bates City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Napoleon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Napoleon is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoleon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
- Lake Lafayette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Lake Lafayette is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lafayette
- Population from the 2020 Census: 340 people
- Odessa
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Waterloo
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Waterloo is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- Wellington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mayview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Platte County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Northmoor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Northmoor is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northmoor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
- Riverside
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Houston Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Houston Lake is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Lake Waukomis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Waukomis is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Waukomis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
- Parkville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Platte Woods
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Platte Woods is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte Woods
- Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
- Weatherby Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Weatherby Lake is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weatherby Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,086 people
- Linkville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Linkville is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linkville
- Waldron
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Waldron is located in Platte County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
- Ray County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Orrick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Albany
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Albany is located in Ray County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
- Fleming
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fleming is located in Ray County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleming
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Camden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Johnson County (KS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Leawood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mission Hills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mission Hills is located in Johnson County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,533 people
- Mission Woods
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mission Woods is located in Johnson County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission Woods
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Westwood Hills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood Hills is located in Johnson County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
- Prairie Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Fairway
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Roeland Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood is located in Johnson County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,642 people
- Countryside
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Countryside is located in Johnson County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside
- Mission
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mission is located in Johnson County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,873 people
- Former name for Mission:
- Mission Hill Acres
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mission <1>
- Overland Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Merriam
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lenexa
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Leavenworth County (KS)
- Loring
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Loring is located in Leavenworth County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loring
- Miami County (KS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Wea
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wea is located in Miami County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wea
- Bucyrus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bucyrus is located in Miami County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucyrus
- Louisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Louisburg is located in Miami County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,590 people
- Former name for Louisburg:
- New Saint Lewis
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisburg <1>
- Chiles
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chiles is located in Miami County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chiles
- Hillsdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Miami County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Somerset
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wyandotte County (KS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Argentine
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Argentine is located in Wyandotte County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argentine
- Kansas City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Turner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Turner is located in Wyandotte County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
- Morris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Morris is located in Wyandotte County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris
- Quindaro ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Quindaro is located in Wyandotte County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quindaro
- Grinter Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Grinter Heights is located in Wyandotte County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinter Heights
- Edwardsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bonner Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Piper
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Piper is located in Wyandotte County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piper
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lee's Summit, see our County-by-County Page for Lee's Summit.
Cemeteries Near Lee's Summit ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lee's Summit.
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 Lee's Summit - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lee's Summit covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Lee's Summit Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Flanery Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ganzer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cowherd Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hylton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Noland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noland Cemetery
- The Noland Cemetery has also been known as:
- Besonia Church Cemetery
- Oliver Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1981914 <2>
- Mound Olivet Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bridges Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stanley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- West Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (294 more) ...
- Floral Hills Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sechrest Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sechrest Cemetery
- The Sechrest Cemetery has also been known as:
- Sechrest Family Cemetery
- Palestine Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
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 Lee's Summit had a population of 369 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lee's Summit had a population of 101,467 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lee's Summit, with the one closest to Lee's Summit listed first.
- Little Blue
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Little Blue is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Blue
- Greenwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Raytown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grandview
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Avon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Avon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Hickman Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hickman Mills is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman Mills
- Belvidere
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Belvidere is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvidere
- Raymore
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cockrell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cockrell is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cockrell
- Holmes Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Holmes Park is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes Park
- Holmes Park has also been known as:
- Holmes
- Blue Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dodson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dodson is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Belton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Red Bridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Red Bridge is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bridge
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lee's Summit. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lee's Summit.
Newspapers Published in Lee's Summit ...
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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lee's Summit.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lee's Summit, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lee's Summit.
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 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 Lee's Summit:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Cass County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Jackson County
- Johnson County
- Lafayette County
- Platte County
- Ray County
- Johnson County
- Leavenworth County
- Miami County
- Wyandotte County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Missouri
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 Lee's Summit, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Lee's Summit) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |