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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 Winchester (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 Winchester. 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 hospitals 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.

Winchester is located in Woods 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 Woods County: Barber (KS), Comanche (KS), Alfalfa, Harper, Major & Woodward.

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

  • Woods County     (The home county of Winchester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Capron
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Alva
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Avard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Hopeton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Freedom
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freedom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom
      • Freedom is located in Woods County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freedom <1>
    • Dacoma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Waynoka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waynoka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynoka
      • Waynoka is located in Woods County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 902 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waynoka <1>
    • Heman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heman
      • Heman is located in Woods County
    • Haskew ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haskew came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskew
      • Haskew is located in Woods County
  • Alfalfa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Burlington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlington <1>
    • Ingersoll
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Amorita
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amorita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amorita
      • Amorita is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amorita <1>
    • Byron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Byron is located in Alfalfa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Cherokee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lambert
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Yewed
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Barber County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Eldred ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eldred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
      • Eldred is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eldred
      • From Winchester to Eldred
    • Hardtner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Aetna ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Stubbs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Kiowa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Gerlane
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gerlane. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerlane
      • Gerlane is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gerlane
      • From Winchester to Gerlane
    • Deerhead
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deerhead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhead
      • Deerhead is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Deerhead
      • From Winchester to Deerhead
    • Hazelton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Barber County (KS)
    • Medicine Lodge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Mingona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mingona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
      • Mingona is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mingona
      • From Winchester to Mingona
    • Pixley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pixley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
      • Pixley is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pixley
      • From Winchester to Pixley
  • Comanche County (KS)
  • Harper County (KS)
    • Crisfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crisfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisfield
      • Crisfield is located in Harper County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crisfield
      • From Winchester to Crisfield

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

Cemeteries Near Winchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Winchester.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Winchester had no post office or railroad service.

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

  • Eldred ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eldred. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
    • Eldred is located in Barber County (KS)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Eldred
    • From Winchester to Eldred
  • Hardtner
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Cora
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cora
    • Cora is located in Woods County
  • Noel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noel
    • Noel is located in Woods County
  • Aetna ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Alva
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Kiowa
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Deerhead
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deerhead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerhead
    • Deerhead is located in Barber County (KS)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Deerhead
    • From Winchester to Deerhead
  • Hazelton
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Driftwood
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Driftwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
    • Driftwood is located in Alfalfa County
  • Medicine Lodge
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Waynoka
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waynoka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynoka
    • Waynoka is located in Woods County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 902 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waynoka <1>
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Pixley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pixley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pixley
      • Pixley is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pixley
      • From Winchester to Pixley
    • Mingona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mingona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingona
      • Mingona is located in Barber County (KS)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mingona
      • From Winchester to Mingona
    • Lake City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Winchester ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Winchester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Winchester, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Winchester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Winchester:

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

The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<4>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.
<5>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- Winchester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Winchester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.9571, Longitude: -98.7975       In this case, the coordinates for Winchester have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.
<7>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 Winchester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025