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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 Kenton (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 Kenton. 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 Kenton ...

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.

In past government published Postal Guides, Kenton was referred to as Kenton Courthouse.

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

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.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 and hospitals 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.

Kenton is located in Hardin County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Ohio's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hardin County: Allen, Auglaize, Hancock, Logan, Marion, Union & Wyandot.

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

  • Hardin County     (The home county of Kenton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kenton, with the one closest to Kenton listed first.
    • Grant
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pfeiffer
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • McVitty
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jumbo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunkirk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Huntersville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Huntersville is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntersville
    • Ridgeway
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Victory
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • McGuffey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • McGuffey is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGuffey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
    • Patterson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Patterson is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Dola
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Forest
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Alger
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Allen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kenton, with the one closest to Kenton listed first.
    • Harrod
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lafayette
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Westminster
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bluffton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Beaverdam
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Lima
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Cairo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Cairo is located in Allen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 520 people
    • West Cairo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • West Cairo is located in Allen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cairo
    • Fort Shawnee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Fort Shawnee is located in Allen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Shawnee
      • Estimated population in 2012: 3,643 people
  • Auglaize County
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kenton, with the one closest to Kenton listed first.
    • North Lewisburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Mingo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Crawford County
  • Delaware County
  • Hancock County
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kenton, with the one closest to Kenton listed first.
    • Belle Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rushsylvania
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • New Richland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Marl City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Marl City is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marl City
    • West Mansfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • West Mansfield is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Mansfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
    • Huntsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakeview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Russells Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bellefontaine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Zanesfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Iron City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Iron City is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
    • Valley Hi
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Middleburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kenton, with the one closest to Kenton listed first.
    • La Rue
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • La Rue is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Rue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 711 people
    • New Bloomington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • New Bloomington is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bloomington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 511 people
    • Gurley ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Gurley is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
    • Morral
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Morral is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morral
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 382 people
    • Green Camp
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Green Camp is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Camp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 356 people
    • Ruth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Newmans
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Marion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Prospect
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Logan ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Logan is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
    • Waldo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kenton, with the one closest to Kenton listed first.
    • Pandora
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pandora is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,101 people
    • Columbus Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilboa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Seneca County
  • Shelby County
  • Union County
  • Wyandot County

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

Cemeteries Near Kenton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kenton.

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 Kenton - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Potters Field
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Norman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Lynn Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Morrison Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Cessna Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Grant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Fulton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Sieg Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bailey Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Lee Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (505 more) ...

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 Kenton had a population of 5,557 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Kenton had a population of 8,216 people.

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

  • Grant
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Silver Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Silver Creek is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
  • Pfeiffer
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Hepburn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Hepburn is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepburn
  • Foraker
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Foraker is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foraker
  • Jumbo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Yelverton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Yelverton is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yelverton
  • McVitty
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Dunkirk
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Ridgeway
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • McGuffey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • McGuffey is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGuffey
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
  • Big Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Big Springs is located in Logan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Springs
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Marshs ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Marshs is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshs
    • Patterson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Patterson is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Marseilles
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Marseilles is located in Wyandot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marseilles
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Kenton ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kenton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Kenton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Kenton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Kenton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4> of Kenton.

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 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 Kenton:

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 Kenton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Kenton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.