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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 Loretto (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 Loretto. 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 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.

Loretto is located in Boone 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 Boone County: Antelope, Greeley, Madison, Nance, Platte & Wheeler.

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

  • Boone County     (The home county of Loretto)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
    • Petersburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
      • Petersburg is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petersburg <2>
    • Albion
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
      • Albion is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,558 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <2>
    • Akron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Akron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
      • Akron is located in Boone County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Akron
      • From Loretto to Akron
    • Boone
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Vorhees
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vorhees. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vorhees
      • Vorhees is located in Boone County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vorhees
      • From Loretto to Vorhees
    • Primrose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Primrose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primrose
      • Primrose is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Primrose <2>
    • Cedar Rapids
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rapids
      • Cedar Rapids is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Rapids <2>
    • Saint Edward
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Antelope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
    • Elgin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elgin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Elgin is located in Antelope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <2>
    • Oakdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Neligh
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Clearwater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
      • Clearwater is located in Antelope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearwater <2>
  • Greeley County
  • Holt County
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
    • Newman Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Emerick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Tilden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tilden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilden
      • Tilden is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 936 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tilden <2>
    • Kalamazoo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kalamazoo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
      • Kalamazoo is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kalamazoo
      • From Loretto to Kalamazoo
    • Meadow Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Grove
      • Meadow Grove is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meadow Grove <2>
    • Fairview ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Battle Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Nance County
  • Platte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loretto, with the one closest to Loretto listed first.
    • Rosenburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lindsay
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Saint Bernard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Cornlea
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornlea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornlea
      • Cornlea is located in Platte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
  • Wheeler County

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

Cemeteries Near Loretto ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Loretto.

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

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

  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Dennison Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dennison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dennison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Albion Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Albion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Albion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Michael Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michael Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michael Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Akron Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Akron Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Akron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Bonaventure Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Zion West Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion West Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion West Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dublin Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Boone Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boone Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (72 more) ...
    • Sunrise Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunrise Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunrise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Anthony Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthony Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anthony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sunset Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)

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 in 1895, Loretto had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Petersburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
    • Petersburg is located in Boone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petersburg <2>
  • Albion
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Albion is located in Boone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,558 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <2>
  • Akron
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Akron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
    • Akron is located in Boone County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Akron
    • From Loretto to Akron
  • Boone
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Closter
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Closter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Closter
    • Closter is located in Boone County
  • Cedar Rapids
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rapids
    • Cedar Rapids is located in Boone County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Rapids <2>
  • Elgin
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elgin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
    • Elgin is located in Antelope County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <2>
  • Newman Grove
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Saint Edward
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Belgrade
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Lindsay
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Emerick
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Loretto ...

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 127 newspapers that have been published in the area around Loretto.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Loretto, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Loretto.

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 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 Loretto:

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

The official website for Boone County: www.co.boone.ne.us/

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 Loretto, 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' (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- Loretto) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Loretto. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.7647, Longitude: -98.0809    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025