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 Bel-Ridge (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 Bel-Ridge. 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 Bel-Ridge ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Bel-Ridge: Bel Rdg. (or less commonly used: Bel Rdge. or Bel Ridg.)
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.
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 doctors 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.
Bel-Ridge is located in Saint Louis 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 Saint Louis County: Madison (IL), Monroe (IL), Saint Clair (IL), Franklin, Jefferson, Saint Charles & Saint Louis.
Below are the counties that are near Bel-Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bel-Ridge:
- Saint Louis County (The home county of Bel-Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Bellerive Acres
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Bellerive Acres is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellerive Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
- Former name for Bellerive Acres:
- Bellerive
- Bel-Nor
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bel-Nor is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bel-Nor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,391 people
- Saint John
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Saint John is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint John
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,319 people
- Normandy
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Normandy is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,824 people
- Pasadena Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pasadena Hills is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasadena Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 888 people
- Pasadena Park
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pasadena Park is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasadena Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Kinloch
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Kinloch is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinloch
- Population from the 2020 Census: 292 people
- Cool Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cool Valley is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,127 people
- Hanley Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hanley Hills is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanley Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,099 people
- Glen Echo Park
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Glen Echo Park is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Echo Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Greendale
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Greendale is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 654 people
- Charlack
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Charlack is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlack
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,353 people
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Port Royal ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Port Royal is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Royal
- Saint Albans
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Pacific
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pacific is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,097 people
- Former name for Pacific:
- Franklin
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pacific <1>
- Gray Summit
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Labadie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Murphy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Murphy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy
- Arnold
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Maxville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Maxville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxville
- Parkdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Parkdale is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
- Flamm City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Flamm City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flamm City
- High Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Peaceful Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Peaceful Village is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaceful Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
- Imperial
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kimmswick
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Byrnes Mill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- House Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Barnhart
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Cap au Gris
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cap au Gris is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cap au Gris
- Old Monroe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Chain-of-Rocks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Chain-of-Rocks is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chain-of-Rocks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Winfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Charles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- West Alton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gardnerville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gardnerville is located in Saint Charles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardnerville
- Saint Charles
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harvester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Portage Des Sioux
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Saint Peters
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Cottleville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Weldon Spring
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- All Saints Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- All Saints Village is located in Saint Charles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for All Saints Village
- Weldon Spring Heights
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Weldon Spring Heights is located in Saint Charles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon Spring Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Dardenne Prairie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- O'Fallon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Saint Louis City
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- University City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- University City is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34,049 people
- Baden
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Baden is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
- Cheltenham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cheltenham is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheltenham
- Tower Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tower Grove is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Grove
- Saint Louis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Carondelet
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Carondelet is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carondelet
- Calhoun County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Deer Plain
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Deer Plain is located in Calhoun County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Plain
- Golden Eagle
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Brussels
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Batchtown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jersey County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Elsah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Chautauqua
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Chautauqua is located in Jersey County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
- Grafton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Dow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- McClusky
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- McClusky is located in Jersey County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClusky
- Delhi
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Delhi is located in Jersey County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
- Otterville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Otterville is located in Jersey County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Fieldon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jerseyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Nutwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nutwood is located in Jersey County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
- Macoupin County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Brighton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Miles Station
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Miles Station is located in Macoupin County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miles Station
- Piasa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bunker Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Madison County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Newport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Newport is located in Madison County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Granite City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Madison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Venice
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Nameoki
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Nameoki is located in Madison County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nameoki
- Brooks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Brooks is located in Madison County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
- Mitchell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Mitchell is located in Madison County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Pontoon Beach
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Altamont
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alton is located in Madison County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,049 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alton <1>
- Hartford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Alton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Alton is located in Madison County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Alton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,922 people
- Monroe County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Columbia
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Valmeyer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Waterloo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Foster Pond ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Foster Pond is located in Monroe County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Pond
- Wartburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wartburg is located in Monroe County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartburg
- Saint Clair County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Brooklyn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brooklyn is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 687 people
- National City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Saint Louis
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fairmont City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Fairmont City is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,439 people
- East Carondelet
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cahokia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cahokia is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cahokia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,742 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cahokia <1>
- Sauget
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sauget is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauget
- Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sauget <1>
- Washington Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Washington Park is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,831 people
- Alorton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Alorton is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alorton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,880 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alorton <1>
- Centreville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Centreville is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,844 people
- Dupo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dupo is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,845 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dupo <1>
- Falling Spring
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Falling Spring is located in Saint Clair County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bel-Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Bel-Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Bel-Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bel-Ridge.
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 Bel-Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bel-Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Lake Charles Park Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Charles Park Cemetery
- The Lake Charles Park Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lake Charles Cemetery
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Valhalla Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Zion Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Washington Park Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- United Hebrew Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Chesed Shei Emeth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Chinese Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Laurel Hill Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bethany Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Peters Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Peter's Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (420 more) ...
- Greenwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Memorial Park Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
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 Bel-Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bel-Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bel-Ridge, with the one closest to Bel-Ridge listed first.
- Normandy
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Normandy is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normandy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,824 people
- Kinloch
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Kinloch is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinloch
- Population from the 2020 Census: 292 people
- Hillsdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsdale is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,536 people
- Woodstock
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Woodstock is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Wellston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wellston is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,279 people
- Jennings
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jennings is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,644 people
- Ferguson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ferguson is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,457 people
- Olivette
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Clayton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Clayton is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,775 people
- Pattonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pattonville is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pattonville
- Baden
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Baden is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
- Florissant
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Florissant is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florissant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50,795 people
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Brentwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Brentwood is located in Saint Louis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,953 people
- Ellendale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ellendale is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Benton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Benton is located in Saint Louis City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bel-Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bel-Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Bel-Ridge ...
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 592 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bel-Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bel-Ridge, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bel-Ridge.
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 Bel-Ridge:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Saint Louis County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Jefferson County
- Lincoln County
- Saint Charles County
- Saint Louis City
- Calhoun County
- Jersey County
- Macoupin County
- Madison County
- Monroe County
- Saint Clair County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Missouri
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 Bel-Ridge, 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- Bel-Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |