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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 Surprise (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 Surprise. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Surprise is located in Butler 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 Butler County: Colfax, Dodge, Lancaster, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward & York.

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

  • Butler County     (The home county of Surprise)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Ulysses
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Rising City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Millerton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
      • Millerton is located in Butler County
    • Garrison
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
      • Garrison is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • David City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Dwight
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Brainard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Bellwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
      • Bellwood is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 416 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellwood <1>
    • Loma
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma
      • Loma is located in Butler County
    • Bruno
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Octavia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Octavia
      • Octavia is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 117 people
    • Abie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Nimburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nimburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimburg
      • Nimburg is located in Butler County
  • Colfax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Richland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Colfax County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Schuyler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hamilton County
    • Hordville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Agnew
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
      • Agnew is located in Lancaster County
    • Malcolm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Raymond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Merrick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Silver Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks
      • Clarks is located in Merrick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarks <1>
  • Nance County
    • Krakow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krakow
      • Krakow is located in Nance County
  • Platte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Duncan
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duncan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
      • Duncan is located in Platte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 370 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncan <1>
    • Columbus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Carriage House Estates
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Sheldonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldonville
      • Sheldonville is located in Platte County
    • Oconee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconee
      • Oconee is located in Platte County
    • Monroe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Platte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monroe <1>
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Shelby
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Osceola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Stromsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Swedehome
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedehome
      • Swedehome is located in Polk County
    • Polk
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Saunders County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Valparaiso
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Rescue ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rescue have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescue
      • Rescue is located in Saunders County
    • Prague
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Weston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Seward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Staplehurst
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Utica
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
      • Bee is located in Seward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bee <1>
    • Tamora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamora
      • Tamora is located in Seward County
    • Seward
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Seward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,363 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seward <1>
    • Goehner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Garland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Beaver Crossing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Ruby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
      • Ruby is located in Seward County
    • Cordova
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Grover
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
      • Grover is located in Seward County
    • Milford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Dale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise listed first.
    • Gresham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Thayer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thayer
      • Thayer is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
    • Benedict
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Waco
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • York
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Arborville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arborville
      • Arborville is located in York County
    • Bradshaw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • McCool Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Surprise ...

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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Surprise.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 Surprise:

Cemeteries Near Surprise ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Surprise.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Surprise, with the one closest to Surprise 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 in 1895, Surprise had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Surprise had a population of 40 people.

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

  • Ulysses
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Rising City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Gresham
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Millerton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
    • Millerton is located in Butler County
  • Shelby
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Garrison
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
    • Garrison is located in Butler County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
  • Marysville ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marysville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
    • Marysville is located in Seward County
  • Staplehurst
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Thayer
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thayer
    • Thayer is located in York County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
  • Osceola
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Utica
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Bee
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
    • Bee is located in Seward County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bee <1>
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • David City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Stromsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Tamora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamora
      • Tamora is located in Seward County

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

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

The official website for Butler County: www.co.butler.ne.us/

The official website for State of Nebraska: 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Surprise) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Surprise. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1050, Longitude: -97.3110    
<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>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.
<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 Surprise, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024