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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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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 University Place (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 University Place. 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 University Place ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for University Place: University Pl. (or less commonly used: University Plc.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named University Place. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for University Place.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

University Place is located in 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 University Place. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to University Place:

  • Lancaster County     (The home county of University Place)
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Havelock
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Havelock is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havelock
    • Belmont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Belmont is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Arbor
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Arbor is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbor
    • Lincoln
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lincoln is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 290,505 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lincoln <1>
    • Gaslight Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Gaslight Village is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
    • West Lincoln
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • West Lincoln is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lincoln
    • College View
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • College View is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College View
    • Walton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Pine Lake is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lake
    • Prairie Home
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Prairie Home is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Home
    • Waverly
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Cheney
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cheney is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheney
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Loma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Loma is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma
    • Dwight
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Brainard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Eagle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Greenwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Alvo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Elmwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Murdock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Wabash
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Wabash is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
    • South Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Manley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Weeping Water
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Avoca
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Louisville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Gage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Cortland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Adams
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Clatonia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Johnson County
    • Sterling
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Otoe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Palmyra
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Douglas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Unadilla
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Syracuse
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Burr
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Otoe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Crete
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorchester
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilber
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sarpy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Linoma Beach
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Linoma Beach is located in Sarpy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linoma Beach
    • Gretna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saunders County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Ceresco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Valparaiso
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Swedeburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Swedeburg is located in Saunders County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedeburg
    • Ashland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Memphis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ithaca
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Weston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Wahoo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Wahoo is located in Saunders County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,603 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wahoo <1>
    • Wann
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wann is located in Saunders County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wann
    • Mead
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Mead is located in Saunders County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mead
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 571 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mead <1>
    • Malmo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Yutan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Yutan is located in Saunders County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yutan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,352 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yutan <1>
  • Seward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place listed first.
    • Pleasant Dale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Garland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Camden ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Camden is located in Seward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
    • Grover
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Grover is located in Seward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
    • Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Ruby
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Ruby is located in Seward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
    • Bee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Bee is located in Seward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bee <1>
    • Seward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Staplehurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Goehner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Tamora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Tamora is located in Seward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamora

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

Cemeteries Near University Place ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of University Place.

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 University Place - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from University Place, with the one closest to University Place 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that University Place had a population of 571 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bethany
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Bethany is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
  • Havelock
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Havelock is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havelock
  • Lincoln
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lincoln is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 290,505 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lincoln <1>
  • West Lincoln
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • West Lincoln is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lincoln
  • College View
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • College View is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College View
  • Walton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Prairie Home
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Prairie Home is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Home
  • Woodlawn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Woodlawn is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn
  • Cheney
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cheney is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheney
  • Waverly
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Emerald
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Emerald is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald
  • Jamaica
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jamaica is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamaica
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Saltillo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Saltillo is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
    • Raymond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Davey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Davey is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davey <1>

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

Newspapers Published in University Place ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around University Place.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of University Place, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for University Place.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 University Place:

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>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 University Place, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- University Place) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.