RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Nebraska >> Phelps County >> Atlanta >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Nebraska

The Commemorative Quarter for Nebraska





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 Atlanta (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 Atlanta. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Atlanta is located in Phelps County.

To see how the shape of Nebraska's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Phelps County: Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Furnas, Gosper, Harlan & Kearney.

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

  • Phelps County     (The home county of Atlanta)
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
    • Elm Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Creek
      • Elm Creek is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elm Creek <1>
    • Odessa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Kearney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Dawson County
    • Overton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Overton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
      • Overton is located in Dawson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Overton <1>
  • Franklin County
  • Furnas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
    • Oxford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Oxford is located in Furnas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 711 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
    • Edison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Hollinger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hollinger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollinger
      • Hollinger is located in Furnas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hollinger
      • From Atlanta to Hollinger
    • Arapahoe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Beaver City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Holbrook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holbrook
      • Holbrook is located in Furnas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holbrook <1>
    • Hendley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendley
      • Hendley is located in Furnas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hendley <1>
  • Gosper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
    • Smithfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Elwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood
      • Elwood is located in Gosper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elwood <1>
  • Harlan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
    • Mascot
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Ragan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ragan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragan
      • Ragan is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ragan <1>
    • Huntley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
      • Huntley is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
    • Flynn Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Orleans
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orleans have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
      • Orleans is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 363 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orleans <1>
    • Stamford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Alma
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Republican City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Kearney County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta listed first.
    • Wilcox
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilcox have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
      • Wilcox is located in Kearney County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilcox <1>
    • Axtell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Keene
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Minden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Kearney City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kearney City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney City
      • Kearney City is located in Kearney County
      • Kearney City has also been known as:
      • Dobytown
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kearney City
      • From Atlanta to Kearney City
  • Phillips County (KS)

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

Cemeteries Near Atlanta ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Atlanta.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Atlanta, with the one closest to Atlanta 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, Atlanta had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Atlanta had a population of 131 people.

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

  • Loomis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Holdrege
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mascot
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Ragan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ragan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragan
    • Ragan is located in Harlan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ragan <1>
  • Sacramento
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sacramento. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento
    • Sacramento is located in Phelps County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sacramento
    • From Atlanta to Sacramento
  • Oxford
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
    • Oxford is located in Furnas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 711 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
  • Oxford Junction
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Junction
    • Oxford Junction is located in Harlan County
  • Funk
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funk
    • Funk is located in Phelps County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Funk <1>
  • Bertrand
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Huntley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
    • Huntley is located in Harlan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Westmark
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Orleans
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orleans have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
    • Orleans is located in Harlan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 363 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orleans <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Atlanta ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Atlanta.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Atlanta. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Atlanta and those printed in the larger area surrounding Atlanta.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Atlanta.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Atlanta:

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

The official website for State of Nebraska: https://www.nebraska.gov/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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- Atlanta) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Atlanta. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.3688, Longitude: -99.4735       In this case, the coordinates for Atlanta have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Atlanta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025