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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 Platte Center (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 Platte Center. 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.

Name Variations for Platte Center ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Platte Center: Platte Ctr. (or less commonly used: Platte Cen., Platte Cent. or Platte Cntr.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 and 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.

Platte Center is located in Platte 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 Platte County: Boone, Butler, Colfax, Madison, Merrick, Nance & Polk.

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

  • Platte County     (The home county of Platte Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Oconee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Oconee is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconee
    • Tarnov
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Tarnov is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarnov
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
    • Sheldonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sheldonville is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldonville
    • Monroe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Columbus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Humphrey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Cornlea
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cornlea is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornlea
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Duncan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Carriage House Estates
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Creston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gardiner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Gardiner is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardiner
    • Saint Bernard
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint Bernard is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Bernard
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Saint Edward
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Vorhees
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Vorhees is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vorhees
    • Boone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Boone is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boone
    • Albion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Bellwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Octavia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Octavia is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Octavia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
    • Rising City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • David City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Millerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Millerton is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Linwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Nimburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Nimburg is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimburg
    • Garrison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Garrison is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Colfax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Richland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Richland is located in Colfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Leigh
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Schuyler
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Clarkson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Howells
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rogers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Rogers is located in Colfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Madison
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Newman Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kalamazoo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Kalamazoo is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
    • Fairview ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Fairview is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Emerick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Emerick is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerick
    • Warnerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Warnerville is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warnerville
  • Merrick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Silver Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Clarks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Nance County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Genoa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Krakow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Krakow is located in Nance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krakow
    • Merchiston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Merchiston is located in Nance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merchiston
    • Fullerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Belgrade
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Platte Center, with the one closest to Platte Center listed first.
    • Shelby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Osceola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Swedehome
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Swedehome is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedehome
    • Stromsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Platte Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Platte Center.

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 Platte Center - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Joseph / St. Patrick Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Stretter Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Michaels Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Michaels Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Tarnov.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #101369 <2>
  • Burrows Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Moriah Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Granville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Humphrey Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (97 more) ...
    • Columbus Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Catholic Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • All Saints Catholic Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Platte Center had a population of 302 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Platte Center had a population of 329 people.

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

  • Oconee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Oconee is located in Platte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconee
  • Tarnov
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Tarnov is located in Platte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarnov
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
  • Monroe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Columbus
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Duncan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Cornlea
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cornlea is located in Platte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornlea
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
  • Humphrey
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Genoa
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Gardiner
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Gardiner is located in Platte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardiner
  • Creston
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Bernard
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Bernard is located in Platte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Bernard
  • Richland
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Richland is located in Colfax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Lindsay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Silver Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Leigh
      (17 miles [27.4 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 Platte Center. See our List of 1890's Communities around Platte Center.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Platte Center ...

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 177 newspapers that have been published in the area around Platte Center.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Platte Center. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Platte Center and those printed in the larger area surrounding Platte Center.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Platte Center.

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 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 Platte Center:

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 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.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Platte Center) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Platte Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.