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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 Minden (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 Minden. 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 doctors 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.

Minden is located in Kearney 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 Kearney County: Adams, Buffalo, Franklin, Harlan, Phelps & Webster.

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

  • Kearney County     (The home county of Minden)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden listed first.
    • Norman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Keene
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Newark
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newark. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Newark is located in Kearney County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newark
      • From Minden to Newark
    • Heartwell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heartwell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Axtell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Kearney City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kearney City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney City
      • Kearney City is located in Kearney County
      • Kearney City has also been known as:
      • Dobytown
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kearney City
      • From Minden to Kearney City
    • Valley City ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley City
      • Valley City is located in Kearney County
    • Wilcox
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilcox have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden listed first.
    • Holstein
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Kenesaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kenesaw have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Assumption
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Roseland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Hayland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Prosser
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prosser have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Juniata
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Ayr
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayr have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayr
      • Ayr is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ayr <1>
    • Hastings
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Good Samaritan Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Samaritan Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Samaritan Village
      • Good Samaritan Village is located in Adams County
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden listed first.
    • Buda
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
      • Buda is located in Buffalo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Buda
      • From Minden to Buda
    • Kearney
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gibbon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibbon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Denman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Glenwood Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Odessa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Shelton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Riverdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Prairie Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Elm Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Amherst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Franklin County
  • Hall County
  • Harlan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden listed first.
    • Ragan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ragan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Huntley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
      • Huntley is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Phelps County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden listed first.
    • Funk
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Sacramento
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sacramento. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento
      • Sacramento is located in Phelps County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sacramento
      • From Minden to Sacramento
    • Holdrege
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Atlanta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Loomis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden listed first.
    • Bladen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Blue Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Hill
      • Blue Hill is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Hill <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Minden ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Minden.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Minden, with the one closest to Minden 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 Minden had a population of 1,380 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Minden had a population of 3,020 people.

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

  • Keene
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Norman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Heartwell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heartwell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Newark
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newark. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
    • Newark is located in Kearney County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Newark
    • From Minden to Newark
  • Axtell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Lowell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
    • Lowell is located in Kearney County
  • Hildreth
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Upland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Wilcox
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilcox have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Buda
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
    • Buda is located in Buffalo County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Buda
    • From Minden to Buda
  • Holstein
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Kearney
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Funk
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Kenesaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kenesaw have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Gibbon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibbon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Minden ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Minden.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Minden. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Minden and those printed in the larger area surrounding Minden.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Minden.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Minden:

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

The official website for Kearney County: www.kearneycounty.ne.gov/

The official website for State of Nebraska: https://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>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.
<3>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.
<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 'straight-line' (or 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- Minden) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Minden. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.5003, Longitude: -98.9492    
<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 Minden, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025