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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 Oakdale (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 Oakdale. 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 hospitals 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.

Oakdale is located in Antelope 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 Antelope County: Boone, Holt, Knox, Madison, Pierce & Wheeler.

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

  • Antelope County     (The home county of Oakdale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Neligh
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Elgin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elgin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Clearwater
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Brunswick
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brunswick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
      • Brunswick is located in Antelope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brunswick <1>
    • Royal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
      • Royal is located in Antelope County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Royal <1>
    • Orchard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Petersburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Loretto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Albion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Akron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Oakdale to Akron
    • Vorhees
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • 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 Oakdale to Vorhees
    • Boone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Holt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Deloit
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Knievels Corner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Ewing
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ewing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
      • Ewing is located in Holt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ewing <1>
    • Emporia ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Emporia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporia
      • Emporia is located in Holt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Emporia
      • From Oakdale to Emporia
  • Knox County
  • Madison County
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Foster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Plainview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Plainview is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,197 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainview <1>
    • Breslau
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Pierce
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierce have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
      • Pierce is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierce <1>
    • Hadar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Osmond
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wee Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wee Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wee Town
      • Wee Town is located in Pierce County
  • Platte County

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

Cemeteries Near Oakdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oakdale.

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

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

  • Oakdale Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
  • St. Boniface Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Boniface Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Boniface Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Cedar Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Cedar Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Cedar Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Howard Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Bonaventure Catholic Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Zion West Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • LDS Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the LDS Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the LDS Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The LDS Cemetery has also been known as:
    • LDS Cemetery
  • West Willowdale Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Willowdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Willowdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hutchins Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hutchins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hutchins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (71 more) ...
    • Deer Creek Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Deer Creek Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Deer Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Clearwater Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clearwater Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clearwater Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Oakdale had a population of 630 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Oakdale had a population of 289 people.

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

  • Neligh
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Tilden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tilden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Elgin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elgin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Meadow Grove
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Closter
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Closter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Closter
    • Closter is located in Boone County
  • Clearwater
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Petersburg
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Emerick
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Brunswick
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brunswick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
    • Brunswick is located in Antelope County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brunswick <1>
  • Deloit
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Battle Creek
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Foster
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Loretto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Plainview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Plainview is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,197 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainview <1>
    • Kalamazoo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 Oakdale to Kalamazoo

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Oakdale ...

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 137 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oakdale.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Oakdale. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Oakdale and those printed in the larger area surrounding Oakdale.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Oakdale.

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 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 Oakdale:

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

The official website for Antelope County: www.co.antelope.ne.us/

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>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>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 Oakdale, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Oakdale) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oakdale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.0705, Longitude: -97.9668    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025