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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 Jamaica (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 Jamaica. 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.

Jamaica is located in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County: Butler, Cass, Gage, Johnson, Otoe, Saline, Saunders & Seward.

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

  • Lancaster County     (The home county of Jamaica)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Roca
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roca
      • Roca is located in Lancaster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roca <2>
    • Cheney
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheney
      • Cheney is located in Lancaster County
    • College View
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College View
      • College View is located in Lancaster County
    • Pine Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake
      • Pine Lake is located in Lancaster County
    • Hickman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Martell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sprague
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lincoln
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Lincoln is located in Lancaster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 290,505 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lincoln <2>
    • Princeton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Princeton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
      • Princeton is located in Lancaster County
    • Holland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Lancaster County
    • Denton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Bennet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Gaslight Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaslight Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
      • Gaslight Village is located in Lancaster County
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Eagle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
      • Eagle is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,105 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagle <2>
    • Alvo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Elmwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Greenwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Murdock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wabash
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
      • Wabash is located in Cass County
    • Avoca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avoca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Avoca is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <2>
  • Gage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Cortland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cortland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortland
      • Cortland is located in Gage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cortland <2>
    • Clatonia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Adams
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Pickrell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Filley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Beatrice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Sterling
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Crab Orchard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crab Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Saint Mary
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
      • Saint Mary is located in Johnson County
    • Cook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Vesta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesta
      • Vesta is located in Johnson County
  • Otoe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Palmyra
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmyra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Palmyra is located in Otoe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 575 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmyra <2>
    • Douglas
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Unadilla
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unadilla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Burr
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Syracuse
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Otoe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • 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>
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Crete
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Wilber
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • De Witt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Swanton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Saunders County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Ceresco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Valparaiso
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Ashland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Swedeburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedeburg
      • Swedeburg is located in Saunders County
    • Memphis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Seward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica listed first.
    • Pleasant Dale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Camden ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Camden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
      • Camden is located in Seward County
    • Grover
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
      • Grover is located in Seward County
    • Milford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Garland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ruby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
      • Ruby is located in Seward County
    • Seward
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Seward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,363 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seward <2>
    • Bee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
      • Bee is located in Seward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bee <2>
    • Goehner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Jamaica ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jamaica.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Jamaica, with the one closest to Jamaica 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, Jamaica had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Saltillo
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saltillo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
    • Saltillo is located in Lancaster County
  • Hanlon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanlon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlon
    • Hanlon is located in Lancaster County
  • Roca
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roca
    • Roca is located in Lancaster County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roca <2>
  • Sprague
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hickman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Cheney
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheney
    • Cheney is located in Lancaster County
  • College View
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College View
    • College View is located in Lancaster County
  • Lincoln
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Lincoln is located in Lancaster County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 290,505 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lincoln <2>
  • Princeton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Princeton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
    • Princeton is located in Lancaster County
  • Holland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
    • Holland is located in Lancaster County
  • Denton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Bennet
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Walton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bethany
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
      • Bethany is located in Lancaster County
    • University Place
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Place have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Place
      • University Place is located in Lancaster County

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

Newspapers Published in Jamaica ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jamaica.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jamaica, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jamaica.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Jamaica:

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

The official website for Lancaster County: www.lancaster.ne.gov/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Jamaica) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Jamaica. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.6989, Longitude: -96.6897       In this case, the coordinates for Jamaica 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 Jamaica, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025