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

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 Emerson (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 Emerson. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Emerson is primarily located in Dixon County. A portion of Emerson extends into Dakota County and Thurston County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Dixon County: Cedar, Dakota, Thurston, Wayne, Clay (SD) & Union (SD).

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

  • Dixon County     (The home county of Emerson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Wakefield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Allen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Waterbury
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Concord
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Martinsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Martinsburg is located in Dixon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
    • Dixon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ponca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Newcastle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Burt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Lyons
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Decatur
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Laurel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Belden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Coleridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Cuming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Bancroft
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Wisner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Beemer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • West Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • West Point is located in Cuming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,237 people
      • West Point has also been known as:
      • Westpoint
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Point <1>
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Hubbard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Homer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Goodwin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Goodwin is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwin
    • Willis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Willis is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
    • Jackson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Dakota City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • South Sioux City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Stanton County
    • Pilger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Thurston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Thurston
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Pender
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Winnebago
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Walthill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosalie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Macy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Wayne
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Carroll
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Winside
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Sholes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sholes is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sholes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20 people
  • Monona County (IA)
    • Albaton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Albaton is located in Monona County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albaton
  • Plymouth County (IA)
    • James
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • James is located in Plymouth County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James
  • Woodbury County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Sergeant Bluff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Salix
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Salix is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salix
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salix <1>
    • Glen Ellen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Glen Ellen is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Ellen
    • Sioux City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Regency of Sioux City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Regency of Sioux City is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency of Sioux City
    • Sloan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Sloan is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sloan <1>
    • Holiday Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Holiday Village is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Village
    • Bronson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Bronson is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bronson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 318 people
    • Evergreen Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Evergreen Village is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
    • Lawton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lawton is located in Woodbury County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 979 people
  • Union County (SD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Dakota Dunes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • McCook Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • McCook Lake is located in Union County (SD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCook Lake
    • North Sioux City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jefferson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Elk Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Emerson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Emerson.

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 Emerson - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Emerson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Jopp Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Wood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Green Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Marcus Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Eastview Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastview Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Eastview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Allen.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960140 <2>
  • Springbank Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rose Hill Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Pender.
    • The Rose Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pender Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #101244 <2>
  • Continue List   (87 more) ...

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 Emerson had a population of 310 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Emerson had a population of 789 people.

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

  • Wakefield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Hubbard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Pender
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Allen
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Homer
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Waterbury
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Winnebago
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Jackson
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wayne
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Concord
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Martinsburg
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Martinsburg is located in Dixon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
  • Dixon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dakota City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Bancroft
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ponca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Emerson ...

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 113 newspapers that have been published in the area around Emerson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Emerson, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Emerson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Emerson:

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 Emerson, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Emerson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.