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 Belle (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 Belle. 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 and 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.
Belle is primarily located in Maries County. A portion of Belle extends into Osage 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 Maries County: Gasconade, Miller, Osage, Phelps & Pulaski.
Below are the counties that are near Belle. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Belle:
- Maries County (The home county of Belle)
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Paydown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Paydown is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paydown
- Lanes Prairie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lanes Prairie is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanes Prairie
- Lindell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lindell is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Vichy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Vichy is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vichy
- Vienna
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brinktown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brinktown is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinktown
- Callaway County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Tebbetts
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Tebbetts is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tebbetts
- Mokane
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hord ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hord is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hord
- Portland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Steedman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Steedman is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steedman
- Cole County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Osage City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Osage City is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage City
- Taos
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Taos is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taos
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,157 people
- Saint Thomas
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Saint Thomas is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Wardsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wardsville is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,570 people
- Teal ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Teal is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teal
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Jake Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jake Prairie is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jake Prairie
- Oak Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Argo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Argo is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
- Cuba
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Leasburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bourbon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Saint Cloud
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Saint Cloud is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Cloud
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
- West Sullivan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- West Sullivan is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sullivan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
- Sankey ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sankey is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sankey
- Steelville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Midland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Midland is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Boone ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Boone is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boone
- Gerald
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Japan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Japan is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Japan
- Strain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Strain is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strain
- Beemont
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Beemont is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beemont
- Champion City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Champion City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champion City
- Elmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Elmont is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmont
- Leslie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Leslie is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Greenstreet
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Greenstreet is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenstreet
- Detmold
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Detmold is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detmold
- Kohl City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kohl City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kohl City
- Beaufort
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Dissen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dissen is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dissen
- Gasconade County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Bland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Redbird
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Redbird is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbird
- Owensville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Bem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bem is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bem
- Mount Sterling
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Mount Sterling is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Rosebud
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Morrison
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Gasconade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Gasconade is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gasconade
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Little Berger
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Little Berger is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Berger
- Miller County
- Saint Elizabeth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Montgomery County
- Bluffton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bluffton is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Osage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Byron
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Byron is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
- Koenig
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Koenig is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koenig
- Freeburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Freeburg is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Linn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Argyle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Argyle is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
- Koeltztown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Koeltztown is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koeltztown
- Westphalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Loose Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Folk
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Folk is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folk
- Bonnots Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- French Village ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- French Village is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Village
- Meta
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Isbell ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Isbell is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isbell
- Phelps County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Saint James
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Rosati
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rosati is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosati
- Rolla
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Doolittle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Doolittle is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolittle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 595 people
- Newburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Newburg is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
- Arlington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Jerome
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jerome is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Pulaski County
- Dixon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Belle, see our County-by-County Page for Belle.
Cemeteries Near Belle ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belle.
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 Belle - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Belle covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Liberty Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Francis Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Travis Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Campbell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Heyer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Schanning Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Walker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cook Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Moreland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Grovedale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Crider Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (337 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Old Bland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Koenig Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Belle had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Belle had a population of 1,489 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Belle, with the one closest to Belle listed first.
- Byron
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Byron is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
- Bland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Paydown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Paydown is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paydown
- Lanes Prairie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lanes Prairie is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanes Prairie
- Cleavesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cleavesville is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleavesville
- Lindell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lindell is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Lois
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lois is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lois
- High Gate
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- High Gate is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Gate
- Leduc ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Leduc is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leduc
- Canaan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Canaan is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
- Redbird
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Redbird is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbird
- Rich Fountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rich Fountain is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Fountain
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Vichy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Vichy is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vichy
- Owensville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Freedom
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Freedom is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Belle. See our List of 1890's Communities around Belle.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Belle ...
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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belle.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Belle. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Belle and those printed in the larger area surrounding Belle.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3> of Belle.
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 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 Belle:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Maries County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Callaway County
- Cole County
- Crawford County
- Franklin County
- Gasconade County
- Miller County
- Montgomery County
- Osage County
- Phelps County
- Pulaski 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> | 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 Belle, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Belle) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |