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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 Kearney (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 Kearney. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Kearney is located in Buffalo County and is the County Seat.

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 Buffalo County: Adams, Custer, Dawson, Hall, Howard, Kearney, Phelps & Sherman.

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

  • Buffalo County     (The home county of Kearney)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Buda
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
      • Buda is located in Buffalo County
    • Riverdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
      • Riverdale is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverdale <2>
    • Odessa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Prairie Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
      • Prairie Center is located in Buffalo County
    • Gibbon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbon
      • Gibbon is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,875 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibbon <2>
    • Amherst
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Elm Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Creek
      • Elm Creek is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elm Creek <2>
    • Denman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denman
      • Denman is located in Buffalo County
    • Pleasanton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Shelton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelton
      • Shelton is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,055 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shelton <2>
    • Poole
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poole
      • Poole is located in Buffalo County
    • Sartoria
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartoria
      • Sartoria is located in Buffalo County
    • Miller
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Kenesaw
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kenesaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenesaw
      • Kenesaw is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 950 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kenesaw <2>
    • Hayland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayland
      • Hayland is located in Adams County
    • Prosser
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prosser have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosser
      • Prosser is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Holstein
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Assumption
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption
      • Assumption is located in Adams County
  • Dawson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Overton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Overton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
      • Overton is located in Dawson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Overton <2>
    • Sumner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Hildreth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Upland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Hall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Wood River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Cameron
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Hall County
  • Harlan County
    • Ragan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ragan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragan
      • Ragan is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ragan <2>
  • Kearney County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Kearney City ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kearney City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney City
      • Kearney City is located in Kearney County
      • Kearney City has also been known as:
      • Dobytown
    • Valley City ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley City
      • Valley City is located in Kearney County
    • Axtell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Minden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Heartwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heartwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartwell
      • Heartwell is located in Kearney County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heartwell <2>
    • Keene
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
      • Keene is located in Kearney County
    • Norman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilcox
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilcox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
      • Wilcox is located in Kearney County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilcox <2>
  • Phelps County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney listed first.
    • Funk
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funk
      • Funk is located in Phelps County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Funk <2>
    • Sacramento
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacramento have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento
      • Sacramento is located in Phelps County
    • Holdrege
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Westmark
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmark
      • Westmark is located in Phelps County
    • Loomis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Atlanta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in Phelps County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <2>
  • Sherman County
    • Hazard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Kearney ...

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 145 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kearney.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Kearney:

Cemeteries Near Kearney ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kearney.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Kearney, with the one closest to Kearney 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 Kearney had a population of 8,074 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Kearney had a population of 34,235 people.

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

  • Glenwood Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenwood Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Park
    • Glenwood Park is located in Buffalo County
  • Buda
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
    • Buda is located in Buffalo County
  • Newark
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newark have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
    • Newark is located in Kearney County
  • Riverdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
    • Riverdale is located in Buffalo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverdale <2>
  • Odessa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Prairie Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
    • Prairie Center is located in Buffalo County
  • Lowell
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
    • Lowell is located in Kearney County
  • Gibbon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbon
    • Gibbon is located in Buffalo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,875 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibbon <2>
  • Amherst
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Axtell
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Minden
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Elm Creek
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Creek
    • Elm Creek is located in Buffalo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elm Creek <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Heartwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heartwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartwell
      • Heartwell is located in Kearney County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heartwell <2>
    • Pleasanton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Funk
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funk
      • Funk is located in Phelps County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Funk <2>

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

The official website for Kearney: www.cityofkearney.org/

The official website for Buffalo County: www.buffalogov.org/

The official website for State of Nebraska: 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>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- Kearney) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Kearney. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7004, Longitude: -99.0843    
<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>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.
<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 Kearney, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024