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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 Westmark (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 Westmark. 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 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.

Westmark is located in Phelps 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 Phelps County: Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Furnas, Gosper, Harlan & Kearney.

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

  • Phelps County     (The home county of Westmark)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Bertrand
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Loomis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Holdrege
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Atlanta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in Phelps County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <1>
    • Funk
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funk
      • Funk is located in Phelps County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Funk <1>
    • Sacramento
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacramento have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento
      • Sacramento is located in Phelps County
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Elm Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Creek
      • Elm Creek is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elm Creek <1>
    • Odessa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Amherst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Miller
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Riverdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
      • Riverdale is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverdale <1>
    • Kearney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Buda
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buda
      • Buda is located in Buffalo County
    • Prairie Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
      • Prairie Center is located in Buffalo County
  • Dawson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Overton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Overton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
      • Overton is located in Dawson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Overton <1>
    • Lexington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Darr
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darr
      • Darr is located in Dawson County
    • Sumner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Eddyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Cozad
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Frontier County
    • Eustis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eustis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eustis
      • Eustis is located in Frontier County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 369 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eustis <1>
  • Furnas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Oxford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oxford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Oxford is located in Furnas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 711 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
    • Edison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Arapahoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Gosper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Smithfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Elwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood
      • Elwood is located in Gosper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elwood <1>
  • Harlan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Mascot
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mascot
      • Mascot is located in Harlan County
    • Ragan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ragan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragan
      • Ragan is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ragan <1>
    • Huntley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huntley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
      • Huntley is located in Harlan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
  • Kearney County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark listed first.
    • Axtell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Wilcox
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilcox have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilcox
      • Wilcox is located in Kearney County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilcox <1>
    • Kearney City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kearney City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney City
      • Kearney City is located in Kearney County
      • Kearney City has also been known as:
      • Dobytown
    • Keene
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keene
      • Keene is located in Kearney County

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

Newspapers Published in Westmark ...

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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westmark.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westmark, 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 Westmark.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Westmark:

Cemeteries Near Westmark ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westmark.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westmark, with the one closest to Westmark 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 in 1895, Westmark had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bertrand
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Loomis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Overton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Overton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
    • Overton is located in Dawson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Overton <1>
  • Josselyn
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Josselyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Josselyn
    • Josselyn is located in Dawson County
  • Elm Creek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elm Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Creek
    • Elm Creek is located in Buffalo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elm Creek <1>
  • Smithfield
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Holdrege
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Odessa
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Atlanta
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
    • Atlanta is located in Phelps County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <1>
  • Lexington
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Funk
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Funk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funk
    • Funk is located in Phelps County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Funk <1>
  • Elwood
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood
    • Elwood is located in Gosper County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elwood <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Sacramento
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sacramento have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacramento
      • Sacramento is located in Phelps County
    • Amherst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Axtell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)

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

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

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Westmark) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westmark. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.5975, Longitude: -99.5306    
<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 Westmark, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024