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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 Anderson (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 Anderson. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Anderson is located in McDonald County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of McDonald County: Benton (AR), Barry, Newton, Delaware (OK) & Ottawa (OK).

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

  • McDonald County     (The home county of Anderson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson listed first.
    • Lanagan
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Ginger Blue
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Ginger Blue is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ginger Blue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • Wylie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Goodman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Erie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pineville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Noel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Noel is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noel <1>
    • May
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Tiff City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Tiff City is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiff City
    • Jane
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • South West City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Powell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Powell is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
  • Barry County
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson listed first.
    • Rex City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Rex City is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rex City
    • Duquesne
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Duquesne is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duquesne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,689 people
    • Duenweg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • East Joplin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Iron Gates
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Iron Gates is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gates
    • Central City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Central City is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
    • Fidelity
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Joplin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • West Joplin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Newton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson listed first.
    • Boulder City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Boulder City is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder City
    • Neosho
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Stella
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Seneca
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Racine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Racine is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Stark City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Granby
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Newtonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Granby City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Granby City is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby City
    • Spring City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Spring City is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring City
    • Diamond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Benton County (AR)
  • Cherokee County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson listed first.
    • Commonwealth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • East Galena
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • East Galena is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galena
    • South Galena
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • South Galena is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Galena
    • Baxter Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Baxter Junction is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter Junction
    • Baxter Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lowell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Lowell is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell has also been known as:
      • Lowell Station
  • Delaware County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson listed first.
    • Dodge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dodge is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge
    • Cayuga
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Copeland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Copeland is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
    • Sycamore
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sycamore is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
    • Brush Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Brush Creek is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
    • Jay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Zena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Zena is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zena
    • Dennis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Dennis is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis
    • Bernice
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • New Eucha
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • New Eucha is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Eucha
    • Cleora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Cleora is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleora
  • Ottawa County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson listed first.
    • Kellyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wyandotte
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Peoria
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Peoria is located in Ottawa County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Ottawa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lincolnville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Miami
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Quapaw
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Afton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Afton is located in Ottawa County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,009 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Afton <1>
    • Narcissa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Narcissa is located in Ottawa County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narcissa
    • Dotyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Dotyville is located in Ottawa County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dotyville
    • Commerce
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Anderson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Anderson.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Anderson, with the one closest to Anderson 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Anderson had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Anderson had a population of 1,915 people.

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

  • Splitlog
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Splitlog is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Splitlog
  • Coy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Coy is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coy
  • Pineville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Erie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Noel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Noel is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noel
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noel <1>
  • Saratoga
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Saratoga is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
  • McElhany
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • McElhany is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElhany
  • Tiff City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Tiff City is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiff City
  • Jane
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Cyclone
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Cyclone is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyclone
  • Hart
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hart is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hart
  • Crump ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Crump is located in Benton County (AR)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crump
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Round Top ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Round Top is located in Benton County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Top
    • Sulphur Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Bethpage
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Bethpage is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethpage

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Anderson ...

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 106 newspapers that have been published in the area around Anderson.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Anderson:

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 Anderson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Anderson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.