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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 Colony (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 Colony. 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 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.

Colony is located in Washita County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Washita County: Beckham, Caddo, Custer & Kiowa.

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

  • Washita County     (The home county of Colony)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colony, with the one closest to Colony listed first.
    • Corn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corn
      • Corn is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corn <2>
    • Bessie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bessie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bessie
      • Bessie is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bessie <2>
    • New Cordell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cordell
      • New Cordell is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,708 people
      • New Cordell has also been known as:
      • Cordell
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Cordell <2>
    • Rocky
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky
      • Rocky is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rocky <2>
    • Dill City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dill City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dill City
      • Dill City is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 527 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dill City <2>
    • Burns Flat
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burns Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Flat
      • Burns Flat is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,881 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burns Flat <2>
    • Foss
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foss have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foss
      • Foss is located in Washita County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Foss <2>
  • Blaine County
    • Geary
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geary
      • Geary is located in Blaine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,272 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geary <2>
  • Caddo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colony, with the one closest to Colony listed first.
    • Eakly
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Swan Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Lake
      • Swan Lake is located in Caddo County
    • Sickles
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sickles. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
      • Sickles is located in Caddo County
    • Hydro
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hydro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydro
      • Hydro is located in Caddo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 937 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hydro <2>
    • Albert
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lookeba
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Carnegie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Binger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Binger have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Binger
      • Binger is located in Caddo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Binger <2>
    • Hinton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hinton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
      • Hinton is located in Caddo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,219 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hinton <2>
    • Bridgeport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Bridgeport is located in Caddo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 110 people
    • Fort Cobb
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Gracemont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Custer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colony, with the one closest to Colony listed first.
    • Weatherford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weatherford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weatherford
      • Weatherford is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,901 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weatherford <2>
    • Clinton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Arapaho
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Custer City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Thomas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
      • Thomas is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thomas <2>
  • Kiowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colony, with the one closest to Colony listed first.
    • Mountain View
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Gotebo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gotebo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotebo
      • Gotebo is located in Kiowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gotebo <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Colony ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Colony.

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

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

  • Indian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Red Top Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Top Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Top Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Poage Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poage Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poage Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Van Dyke Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Van Dyke Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Van Dyke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • High Point Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the High Point Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the High Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethany Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brethren Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brethren Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brethren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eakly Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eakly Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eakly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Plainview Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plainview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plainview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sappington Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sappington Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sappington Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Missouri Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Missouri Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Missouri Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (121 more) ...
    • Zion Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Alfalfa Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alfalfa Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alfalfa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Radford Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Radford Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Radford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

While we didn't find Colony in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Colony.

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

  • Cloud Chief
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloud Chief have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloud Chief
    • Cloud Chief is located in Washita County
  • Weatherford
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weatherford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weatherford
    • Weatherford is located in Custer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,901 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weatherford <2>
  • New Cordell
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Cordell
    • New Cordell is located in Washita County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,708 people
    • New Cordell has also been known as:
    • Cordell
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Cordell <2>
  • Rainy ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainy
    • Rainy is located in Washita County
  • Arapaho
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Geary
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geary
    • Geary is located in Blaine County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,272 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geary <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Colony ...

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 126 newspapers that have been published in the area around Colony.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Colony. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Colony and those printed in the larger area surrounding Colony.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Colony.

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 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 Colony:

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

The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Colony, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Colony) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Colony. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.3486, Longitude: -98.6713       In this case, the coordinates for Colony have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025