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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 Indianola (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 Indianola. 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 hospitals 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.

Indianola is located in Red Willow 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 Red Willow County: Decatur (KS), Rawlins (KS), Frontier, Furnas & Hitchcock.

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

  • Red Willow County     (The home county of Indianola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Indianola, with the one closest to Indianola listed first.
    • Red Willow
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Willow
      • Red Willow is located in Red Willow County
    • Bartley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • McCook
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCook
      • McCook is located in Red Willow County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,499 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCook <1>
    • Danbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Lebanon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Frontier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Indianola, with the one closest to Indianola listed first.
    • Stockville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Orafino
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orafino
      • Orafino is located in Frontier County
    • Curtis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Maywood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Furnas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Indianola, with the one closest to Indianola listed first.
    • Cambridge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Wilsonville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonville
      • Wilsonville is located in Furnas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilsonville <1>
    • Holbrook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • Arapahoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Hitchcock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Indianola, with the one closest to Indianola listed first.
    • Culbertson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Beverly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beverly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
      • Beverly is located in Hitchcock County
  • Decatur County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Indianola, with the one closest to Indianola listed first.
    • Traer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Traer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Traer
      • Traer is located in Decatur County (KS)
    • Oberlin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oberlin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oberlin
      • Oberlin is located in Decatur County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oberlin <1>
    • Kanona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanona
      • Kanona is located in Decatur County (KS)
    • Norcatur
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcatur
      • Norcatur is located in Decatur County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 142 people
  • Rawlins County (KS)
    • Herndon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herndon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
      • Herndon is located in Rawlins County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Indianola ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Indianola.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Indianola:

Cemeteries Near Indianola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Indianola.

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

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

  • Indianola Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Indian Hills Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • St. Catherine Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bartley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Dry Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • St. John Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John Cemetery
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Boxelder Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hamburg Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamburg Cemetery
  • Continue List   (64 more) ...
    • Fairview Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Prairie Land Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery

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 Indianola had a population of 579 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Indianola had a population of 543 people.

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

  • Red Willow
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Willow
    • Red Willow is located in Red Willow County
  • Bartley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • McCook
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCook
    • McCook is located in Red Willow County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,499 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCook <1>
  • Danbury
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Cambridge
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Lebanon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Perry
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
    • Perry is located in Red Willow County
  • Wilsonville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonville
    • Wilsonville is located in Furnas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilsonville <1>
  • Quick
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick
    • Quick is located in Frontier County
  • Cedar Bluffs
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Bluffs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluffs
    • Cedar Bluffs is located in Decatur County (KS)
  • Orafino
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orafino
    • Orafino is located in Frontier County
  • Stockville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Holbrook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • Lyle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyle
      • Lyle is located in Decatur County (KS)
    • Culbertson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)

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

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

The official website for Red Willow County: www.co.red-willow.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 '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- Indianola) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Indianola. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.2372, Longitude: -100.4172    
<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 Indianola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024