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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 Okesa (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 Okesa. 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 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.

Okesa is located in Osage County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Osage County: Chautauqua (KS), Cowley (KS), Kay, Noble, Pawnee, Tulsa & Washington.

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

  • Osage County     (The home county of Okesa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Barnsdall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bowring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Herd
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Herd is located in Osage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herd
    • Pershing
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Pershing is located in Osage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pershing
    • Pawhuska
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Whippoorwill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Whippoorwill is located in Osage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whippoorwill
    • Wynona
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Avant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Skiatook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Hominy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Indian Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Village is located in Osage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
    • Foraker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Foraker is located in Osage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foraker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
  • Nowata County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Wann
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Delaware
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Nowata
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Watova
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Watova is located in Nowata County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watova
    • Lenapah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Rogers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Talala
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jamestown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jamestown is located in Rogers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Oologah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Tulsa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Sperry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Collinsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Bartlesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ochelata
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dewey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dewey is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,411 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dewey <1>
    • Hogshooter
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Hogshooter is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogshooter
    • Oglesby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Oglesby is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oglesby
    • Copan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Copan is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Copan <1>
    • Ramona
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Vera
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Vera is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vera <1>
  • Chautauqua County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Jonesburg ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jonesburg is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesburg
    • Chautauqua
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Chautauqua is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
    • Elgin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Elgin is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
      • Elgin has also been known as:
      • New Elgin
    • Niotaze
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Niotaze is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niotaze
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
    • Peru
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Peru is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
    • Hewins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hewins is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewins
    • Sedan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Sedan is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 992 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sedan <1>
    • Monett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Monett is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monett
    • Layton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Layton is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
    • Osro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Osro is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osro
      • Osro has also been known as:
      • Osrow
      • Ozro Falls
      • Ozro
      • Ozrow
    • Wauneta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Wauneta is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauneta
  • Montgomery County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okesa, with the one closest to Okesa listed first.
    • Caney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Caney is located in Montgomery County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,948 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caney <1>
    • Havana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Havana is located in Montgomery County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • Tyro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Tyro is located in Montgomery County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people

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

Cemeteries Near Okesa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Okesa.

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

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

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

  • Jessie Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Strikeaxe Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lookout Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Nelagoney Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Javine Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Matoaka Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka Cemetery
    • The Matoaka Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cherokee Cemetery
    • Daniels Cemetery
    • Sugar Mound Cemetery
  • White Rose Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Red Eagle Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Silver Lake Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • James Bigheart Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Reece Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Barnsdall City Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (90 more) ...
    • Beck Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Stokes Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Moore Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)

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>

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

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

  • Pawhuska
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Jonesburg ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Jonesburg is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesburg
  • Elgin
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Elgin is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 79 people
    • Elgin has also been known as:
    • New Elgin
  • Chautauqua
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Chautauqua is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
  • Caney
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Caney is located in Montgomery County (KS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,948 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caney <1>
  • Hominy
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Niotaze
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Niotaze is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niotaze
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
  • Peru
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Peru is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
  • Wild Horse
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Wild Horse is located in Osage County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Horse
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Hewins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hewins is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewins
    • Tyro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Tyro is located in Montgomery County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Havana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Havana is located in Montgomery County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • Sedan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Sedan is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 992 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sedan <1>
    • Osro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Osro is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osro
      • Osro has also been known as:
      • Osrow
      • Ozro Falls
      • Ozro
      • Ozrow
    • Monett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Monett is located in Chautauqua County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monett

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

Newspapers Published in Okesa ...

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 170 newspapers that have been published in the area around Okesa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Okesa, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Okesa.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Okesa:

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 Okesa, 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- Okesa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.