RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Nebraska >> Lancaster County >> Pella >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Pella to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Pella, 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 Pella (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 Pella. 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 and 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Pella is historic, it would have been located within present day Lancaster County.

To see how the shape of Nebraska's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lancaster County: Butler, Cass, Gage, Johnson, Otoe, Saline, Saunders & Seward.

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

  • Lancaster County     (The home county of Pella)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Panama
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Holland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Holland is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
    • Firth
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Firth is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Firth <2>
    • Bennet
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Hickman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Princeton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Princeton is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
    • Hanlon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hanlon is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlon
    • Roca
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Roca is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roca <2>
    • Cheney
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Cheney is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheney
    • Sprague
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Martell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Lake is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake
    • Hallam
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Eagle
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Alvo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Elmwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Avoca
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wabash
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wabash is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
    • Greenwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Murdock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Weeping Water
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Manley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Gage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Adams
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Cortland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Pickrell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Filley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Clatonia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Rockford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Rockford is located in Gage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
    • Virginia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Beatrice
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Holmesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Blue Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Wymore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Ellis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellis is located in Gage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
  • Jefferson County
    • Plymouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Sterling
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Mary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Saint Mary is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
    • Crab Orchard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Vesta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Vesta is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesta
    • Cook
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Cook is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cook <2>
    • Tecumseh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Graf ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Graf is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graf
    • Elk Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Nemaha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Brock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Johnson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Otoe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Douglas
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Burr
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Palmyra
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Unadilla
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Syracuse
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Otoe
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Dunbar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Lorton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Talmage
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Pawnee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Lewiston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Steinauer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Burchard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • De Witt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Crete
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Wilber
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Seward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pella, with the one closest to Pella listed first.
    • Pleasant Dale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Camden ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Camden is located in Seward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden

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

Cemeteries Near Pella ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pella.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Pella - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Pella covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pella Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Panama Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Solon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Solon Cemetery is located between<4> the communities of Panama and Douglas.  The cemetery lies 3 miles [4.8 km]<5> to the west of Douglas.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #101464 <3>
  • Firth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firth Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Firth Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Firth.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #100639 <3>
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Holland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holland Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Holland.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #100779 <3>
  • Highland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Martins Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Martins Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Martins Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Douglas.
    • The St. Martins Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Martins Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #101336 <3>
  • Douglas Rosehill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Swiggart Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Dietz Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (159 more) ...
    • Grandview Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dughman Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Hickman Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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.

Pella itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Panama
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Firth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Firth is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firth
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Firth <2>
  • Holland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Holland is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
  • Adams
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Douglas
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Bennet
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Hickman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Sterling
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Burr
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Princeton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Princeton is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
  • Cortland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Roca
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Roca is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roca
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roca <2>
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Hanlon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hanlon is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlon
    • Cheney
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Cheney is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheney
    • Palmyra
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Pella ...

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 161 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pella.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pella, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pella.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Pella:

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 Pella, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Panama and Douglas. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Pella) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.