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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Meridian. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Meridian to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Meridian, please Contact Us.

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 Meridian (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 Meridian. 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 doctors 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Meridian is historic, it would have been located within present day Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Republic (KS), Washington (KS), Fillmore, Gage, Saline & Thayer.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Meridian)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Powell
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
      • Powell is located in Jefferson County
    • Daykin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daykin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daykin
      • Daykin is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Daykin <3>
    • Reynolds
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Fairbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Thompson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
      • Thompson is located in Jefferson County
    • Jansen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jansen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jansen
      • Jansen is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 114 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jansen <3>
    • Endicott
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Endicott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Endicott
      • Endicott is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Endicott <3>
    • Harbine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbine
      • Harbine is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
    • Plymouth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
      • Plymouth is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 379 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plymouth <3>
    • Steele City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Diller
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Clay County
    • Ong
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Fillmore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Ohiowa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Strang
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Milligan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Shickley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Geneva
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Exeter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Exeter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
      • Exeter is located in Fillmore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Exeter <3>
  • Gage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Ellis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
      • Ellis is located in Gage County
    • Lanham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lanham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanham
      • Lanham is located in Gage County
  • Nuckolls County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Ruskin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruskin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
      • Ruskin is located in Nuckolls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruskin <3>
    • Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
      • Oak is located in Nuckolls County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak <3>
    • Sedan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Sedan is located in Nuckolls County
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Tobias
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Western
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Swanton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • De Witt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilber
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Friend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Thayer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Alexandria
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilead
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilead have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
      • Gilead is located in Thayer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 37 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilead <3>
    • Belvidere
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Hebron
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bruning
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hubbell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hubbell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbell
      • Hubbell is located in Thayer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hubbell <3>
    • Carleton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carleton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carleton
      • Carleton is located in Thayer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carleton <3>
    • Chester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Deshler
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deshler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deshler
      • Deshler is located in Thayer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 711 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deshler <3>
    • Davenport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Byron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Republic County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Narka
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narka
      • Narka is located in Republic County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Munden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munden
      • Munden is located in Republic County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Cuba
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuba have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Republic County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <3>
    • Belleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
      • Belleville is located in Republic County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,841 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belleville <3>
  • Washington County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Meridian, with the one closest to Meridian listed first.
    • Mahaska
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mahaska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahaska
      • Mahaska is located in Washington County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Blocker ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blocker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocker
      • Blocker is located in Washington County (KS)
    • Haddam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haddam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddam
      • Haddam is located in Washington County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Haddam has also been known as:
      • Haddam City
      • West Haddam
    • Hollenberg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollenberg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollenberg
      • Hollenberg is located in Washington County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20 people
    • Morrowville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrowville
      • Morrowville is located in Washington County (KS)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Lanham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanham
      • Lanham is located in Washington County (KS)

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

Cemeteries Near Meridian ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Meridian.

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

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

  • Meridian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meridian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meridian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alexandria Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alexandria Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alexandria Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Powell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Powell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Powell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Richland Center Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richland Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richland Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eureka Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eureka Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eureka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Plain Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Plain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Plain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (129 more) ...
    • Franklin Union Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Bower Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bower Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bower Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Zion Lutheran Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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.

While we didn't find Meridian in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Meridian.

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

  • Alexandria
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Gladstone
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gladstone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
    • Gladstone is located in Jefferson County
  • Powell
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
    • Powell is located in Jefferson County
  • Gilead
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilead have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
    • Gilead is located in Thayer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 37 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilead <3>
  • Daykin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daykin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daykin
    • Daykin is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Daykin <3>
  • Reynolds
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Fairbury
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Bower ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bower have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bower
    • Bower is located in Jefferson County
  • Belvidere
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Thompson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Thompson is located in Jefferson County
  • Hebron
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Bruning
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Ohiowa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jansen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jansen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jansen
      • Jansen is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 114 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jansen <3>
    • Tobias
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Meridian ...

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 211 newspapers that have been published in the area around Meridian.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Meridian, 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 Meridian.

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 either 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 Meridian:

The official website for Jefferson County: www.co.jefferson.ne.us/

The official website for State of Nebraska: https://www.nebraska.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Meridian, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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.
<6>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- Meridian) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Meridian. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.2167, Longitude: -97.3642       In this case, the coordinates for Meridian have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025