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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 Gretna (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 Gretna. 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.

Gretna is located in Sarpy 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 Sarpy County: Mills (IA), Pottawattamie (IA), Cass, Douglas & Saunders.

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

  • Sarpy County     (The home county of Gretna)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
    • Chalco
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chalco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalco
      • Chalco is located in Sarpy County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chalco <2>
    • Springfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Springfield is located in Sarpy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,622 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springfield <2>
    • Linoma Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Richfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • La Vista
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Vista
      • La Vista is located in Sarpy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,020 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Vista <2>
    • Papillion
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Papillion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Papillion
      • Papillion is located in Sarpy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Papillion <2>
    • Bellevue
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • La Platte
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
    • South Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
      • South Bend is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Bend <2>
    • Cedar Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
      • Cedar Creek is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Creek <2>
    • Louisville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cullom
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cullom. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullom
      • Cullom is located in Cass County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cullom
      • From Gretna to Cullom
    • Murdock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Manley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manley
      • Manley is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manley <2>
    • Greenwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wabash
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Alvo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alvo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvo
      • Alvo is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvo <2>
    • Weeping Water
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weeping Water have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeping Water
      • Weeping Water is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,094 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weeping Water <2>
    • Elmwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmwood <2>
    • Mynard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Plattsmouth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plattsmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattsmouth
      • Plattsmouth is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,416 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plattsmouth <2>
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
    • Inglewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inglewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inglewood
      • Inglewood is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 314 people
    • Fremont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Fontanelle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Ames
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ames have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Ames is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ames <2>
    • Nickerson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
    • Millard
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elkhorn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
      • Elkhorn is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkhorn <2>
    • Venice
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Waterloo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterloo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
      • Waterloo is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 914 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waterloo <2>
    • Boys Town
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ralston
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ralston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralston
      • Ralston is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,254 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ralston <2>
    • King Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Omaha
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley
      • Valley is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,928 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley <2>
    • Elk City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Irvington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Irvington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
      • Irvington is located in Douglas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Irvington
      • From Gretna to Irvington
    • Bennington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
      • Bennington is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,518 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bennington <2>
    • Home Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Lancaster County
  • Otoe County
    • Otoe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Saunders County
  • Washington County
  • Fremont County (IA)
  • Mills County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
    • Pacific City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pacific City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific City
      • Pacific City is located in Mills County (IA)
    • Pacific Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pacific Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific Junction
      • Pacific Junction is located in Mills County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pacific Junction <2>
    • Glenwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills
      • Mills is located in Mills County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mills
      • From Gretna to Mills
    • Mineola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineola
      • Mineola is located in Mills County (IA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mineola <2>
  • Pottawattamie County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna listed first.
    • Carter Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Council Bluffs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Chautauqua
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Crescent
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crescent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
      • Crescent is located in Pottawattamie County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 618 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crescent <2>
    • Dumfries
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Honey Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honey Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
      • Honey Creek is located in Pottawattamie County (IA)
    • Weston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in Pottawattamie County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Weston
      • From Gretna to Weston
    • Loveland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loveland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loveland
      • Loveland is located in Pottawattamie County (IA)

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

Cemeteries Near Gretna ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gretna.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gretna, with the one closest to Gretna 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 Gretna had a population of 255 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Gretna had a population of 5,024 people.

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

  • Chalco
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chalco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalco
    • Chalco is located in Sarpy County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chalco <2>
  • Springfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
    • Springfield is located in Sarpy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,622 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springfield <2>
  • Millard
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Richfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Portal
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portal
    • Portal is located in Sarpy County
  • Elkhorn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Elkhorn is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkhorn <2>
  • Ashland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
    • Ashland is located in Saunders County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,724 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ashland <2>
  • South Bend
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
    • South Bend is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Bend <2>
  • Cedar Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
    • Cedar Creek is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Creek <2>
  • Memphis
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Waterloo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterloo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
    • Waterloo is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 914 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waterloo <2>
  • Papillion
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Papillion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Papillion
    • Papillion is located in Sarpy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,293 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Papillion <2>
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Yutan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cullom
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cullom. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullom
      • Cullom is located in Cass County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cullom
      • From Gretna to Cullom
    • Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley
      • Valley is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,928 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gretna ...

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 96 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gretna.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gretna. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gretna and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gretna.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Gretna.

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 Gretna:

The official website for Gretna: www.gretnanebraska.com/

The official website for Sarpy County: www.sarpy.com/

The official website for State of Nebraska: https://www.nebraska.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>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 Gretna, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Gretna) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gretna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1396, Longitude: -96.2392    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025