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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 Westerville (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 Westerville. 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.

Westerville is located in Custer 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 Custer County: Blaine, Buffalo, Dawson, Garfield, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, Sherman & Valley.

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

  • Custer County     (The home county of Westerville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville listed first.
    • Weissert
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Berwyn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berwyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn
      • Berwyn is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berwyn <1>
    • Ansley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Wescott
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wescott
      • Wescott is located in Custer County
    • Mason City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason City
      • Mason City is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason City <1>
    • Comstock
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Comstock <1>
    • Broken Bow
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broken Bow
      • Broken Bow is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,437 people
      • Broken Bow has also been known as:
      • Brokenbow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Broken Bow <1>
    • Sargent
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Buckeye
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Custer County
    • Cumro ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumro
      • Cumro is located in Custer County
    • Merna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merna
      • Merna is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 360 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merna <1>
    • Gates
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gates
      • Gates is located in Custer County
    • New Helena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Helena
      • New Helena is located in Custer County
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville listed first.
    • Sartoria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartoria
      • Sartoria is located in Buffalo County
    • Sweetwater
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
      • Sweetwater is located in Buffalo County
  • Dawson County
    • Eddyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Garfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville listed first.
    • Burwell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow Springs ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Springs
      • Willow Springs is located in Garfield County
  • Loup County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville listed first.
    • Taylor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Almeria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almeria
      • Almeria is located in Loup County
  • Sherman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville listed first.
    • Litchfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
      • Litchfield is located in Sherman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <1>
    • Loup City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loup City
      • Loup City is located in Sherman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
      • Loup City has also been known as:
      • Loup
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loup City <1>
    • North Loup City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Loup City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Loup City
      • North Loup City is located in Sherman County
    • Hazard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Valley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville listed first.
    • Arcadia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Elyria
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elyria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elyria
      • Elyria is located in Valley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elyria <1>
    • Ord
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ord
      • Ord is located in Valley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,052 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ord <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Westerville ...

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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westerville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westerville, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westerville.

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 Westerville:

Cemeteries Near Westerville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westerville.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westerville, with the one closest to Westerville 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Westerville had a population of 18 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Berwyn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berwyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn
    • Berwyn is located in Custer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berwyn <1>
  • Ansley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Elton ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
    • Elton is located in Custer County
  • Wescott
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wescott
    • Wescott is located in Custer County
  • Mason City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason City
    • Mason City is located in Custer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason City <1>
  • Arcadia
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Round Valley
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Valley
    • Round Valley is located in Custer County
  • Broken Bow
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broken Bow
    • Broken Bow is located in Custer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,437 people
    • Broken Bow has also been known as:
    • Brokenbow
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Broken Bow <1>
  • Sargent
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • West Union ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Union have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
    • West Union is located in Custer County
  • Geranium ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geranium have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geranium
    • Geranium is located in Valley County
  • Lillian
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lillian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillian
    • Lillian is located in Custer County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Cumro ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumro
      • Cumro is located in Custer County
    • Litchfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
      • Litchfield is located in Sherman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <1>
    • Walworth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walworth
      • Walworth is located in Custer County

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

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

The official website for Custer County: www.co.custer.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- Westerville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westerville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3963, Longitude: -99.3811    
<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 Westerville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024