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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 Elk Creek (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 Elk Creek. 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 Elk Creek ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Elk Creek: Elk Crk. (or less commonly used: Elk Ck. or Elk Cr.)

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 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.

Elk Creek is located in Johnson 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 Johnson County: Gage, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe & Pawnee.

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

  • Johnson County     (The home county of Elk Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Tecumseh
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Graf ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graf
      • Graf is located in Johnson County
    • Vesta
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesta
      • Vesta is located in Johnson County
    • Saint Mary
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
      • Saint Mary is located in Johnson County
    • Cook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook
      • Cook is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cook <1>
    • Crab Orchard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crab Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crab Orchard
      • Crab Orchard is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crab Orchard <1>
    • Sterling
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Gage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Virginia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia
      • Virginia is located in Gage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virginia <1>
    • Filley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Adams
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
      • Adams is located in Gage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 622 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adams <1>
    • Liberty
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Rockford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
      • Rockford is located in Gage County
    • Barneston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Holmesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Blue Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Wymore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Panama
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Firth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firth
      • Firth is located in Lancaster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Firth <1>
  • Nemaha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Johnson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
      • Johnson is located in Nemaha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnson <1>
    • Rohrs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rohrs
      • Rohrs is located in Nemaha County
    • Howe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Nemaha County
    • Auburn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Auburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
      • Auburn is located in Nemaha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Auburn <1>
    • Brock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Julian
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Julian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
      • Julian is located in Nemaha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
    • Nemaha
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemaha
      • Nemaha is located in Nemaha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
      • Nemaha has also been known as:
      • Nemaha City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nemaha <1>
    • Peru
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Brownville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Saint Deroin ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Deroin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Deroin
      • Saint Deroin is located in Nemaha County
  • Otoe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Talmage
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Burr
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr
      • Burr is located in Otoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 59 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burr <1>
    • Lorton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Syracuse
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Douglas
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Dunbar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunbar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbar
      • Dunbar is located in Otoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dunbar <1>
    • Unadilla
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unadilla have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unadilla
      • Unadilla is located in Otoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Unadilla <1>
    • Otoe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otoe
      • Otoe is located in Otoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 177 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otoe <1>
    • Nebraska City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Pawnee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Table Rock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Steinauer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pawnee City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Lewiston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewiston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
      • Lewiston is located in Pawnee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <1>
    • Burchard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Du Bois
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Richardson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Humboldt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Stella
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Dawson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Nim City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nim City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nim City
      • Nim City is located in Richardson County
    • Shubert
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Verdon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Salem
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in Richardson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
    • Straussville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straussville
      • Straussville is located in Richardson County
    • Barada
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barada
      • Barada is located in Richardson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22 people
  • Marshall County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Summerfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Axtell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axtell
      • Axtell is located in Marshall County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
  • Nemaha County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Bern
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bern have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bern
      • Bern is located in Nemaha County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
    • Central City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Nemaha County (KS)
    • Saint Benedict ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Benedict
      • Saint Benedict is located in Nemaha County (KS)
    • Berwick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berwick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwick
      • Berwick is located in Nemaha County (KS)
    • Baileyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileyville
      • Baileyville is located in Nemaha County (KS)
    • Oneida
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
      • Oneida is located in Nemaha County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
  • Atchison County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek listed first.
    • Phelps City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phelps City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phelps City
      • Phelps City is located in Atchison County (MO)
    • Watson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Atchison County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Elk Creek ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elk Creek.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Elk Creek. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Elk Creek and those printed in the larger area surrounding Elk Creek.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Elk Creek.

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 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 Elk Creek:

Cemeteries Near Elk Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elk Creek.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Elk Creek, with the one closest to Elk Creek 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Elk Creek had a population of 216 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Elk Creek had a population of 91 people.

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

  • Tecumseh
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Steinauer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Table Rock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Graf ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graf
    • Graf is located in Johnson County
  • Mayberry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayberry
    • Mayberry is located in Pawnee County
  • Johnson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
    • Johnson is located in Nemaha County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnson <1>
  • Vesta
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesta
    • Vesta is located in Johnson County
  • Violet ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Violet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Violet
    • Violet is located in Pawnee County
  • Pawnee City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Humboldt
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lewiston
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewiston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
    • Lewiston is located in Pawnee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <1>
  • Burchard
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Cook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook
      • Cook is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cook <1>
    • Crab Orchard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crab Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crab Orchard
      • Crab Orchard is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crab Orchard <1>
    • Howe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Nemaha County

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

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

The official website for Johnson County: www.co.johnson.ne.us/

The official website for State of Nebraska: 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>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.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Elk Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elk Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.2865, Longitude: -96.1289    
<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>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 Elk Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024