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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 Big Creek (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 Big Creek. 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 Big Creek ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Bigcreek.

  • A typical abbreviation for Big Creek: Big Crk. (or less commonly used: Big Ck. or Big Cr.)

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 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.

Big Creek is located in Texas County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Texas County: Dent, Douglas, Howell, Laclede, Phelps, Pulaski, Shannon & Wright.

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

  • Texas County     (The home county of Big Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Yukon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yukon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
      • Yukon is located in Texas County
    • Eunice
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Solo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solo
      • Solo is located in Texas County
    • Raymondville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Houston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
      • Houston is located in Texas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,085 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houston <2>
    • Hartshorn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartshorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartshorn
      • Hartshorn is located in Texas County
    • Mineral Springs City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral Springs City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs City
      • Mineral Springs City is located in Texas County
    • Elk Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Creek
      • Elk Creek is located in Texas County
    • Simmons
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmons
      • Simmons is located in Texas County
    • Summersville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summersville
      • Summersville is located in Texas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summersville <2>
    • Hattie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hattie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattie
      • Hattie is located in Texas County
    • Bucyrus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucyrus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucyrus
      • Bucyrus is located in Texas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bucyrus <2>
    • Sargent
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sargent. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargent
      • Sargent is located in Texas County
  • Dent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Coulstone
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coulstone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coulstone
      • Coulstone is located in Dent County
    • Jadwin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jadwin
      • Jadwin is located in Dent County
    • Darien
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Darien. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
      • Darien is located in Dent County
    • Jack
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jack
      • Jack is located in Dent County
    • Lenox
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
      • Lenox is located in Dent County
    • Doss
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doss
      • Doss is located in Dent County
  • Howell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Sterling ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sterling. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
      • Sterling is located in Howell County
    • Willow Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Springs
      • Willow Springs is located in Howell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,098 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow Springs <2>
    • Mountain View
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Burnham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnham
      • Burnham is located in Howell County
    • Peace Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peace Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peace Valley
      • Peace Valley is located in Howell County
    • Pomona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pomona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
      • Pomona is located in Howell County
  • Laclede County
    • Lynchburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynchburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynchburg
      • Lynchburg is located in Laclede County
  • Phelps County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Beulah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beulah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
      • Beulah is located in Phelps County
    • Duke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
      • Duke is located in Phelps County
  • Shannon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Akers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akers
      • Akers is located in Shannon County
    • Alley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alley
      • Alley is located in Shannon County
    • Montier
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montier
      • Montier is located in Shannon County
    • Round Spring
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Spring
      • Round Spring is located in Shannon County
    • Birch Tree
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birch Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Tree
      • Birch Tree is located in Shannon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Birch Tree <2>
    • Eminence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eminence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eminence
      • Eminence is located in Shannon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 581 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eminence <2>
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Graff
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graff
      • Graff is located in Wright County
    • Mountain Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Astoria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Astoria. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astoria
      • Astoria is located in Wright County
    • Green Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mountain
      • Green Mountain is located in Wright County

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

Cemeteries Near Big Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Creek.

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

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

  • Big Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Home Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Allen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Allen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • County Farm Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Lawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Foard Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rocky Branch Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rocky Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rocky Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Summersville Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Summersville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Summersville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pickett Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pickett Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pickett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (143 more) ...
    • Mahan Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mahan Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mahan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cold Spring Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cold Spring Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cold Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bell Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bell Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Big Creek had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Tyrone
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tyrone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
    • Tyrone is located in Texas County
  • Eunice
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Samoa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samoa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoa
    • Samoa is located in Texas County
  • Raymondville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Clear Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Springs
    • Clear Springs is located in Texas County
  • Houston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
    • Houston is located in Texas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,085 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houston <2>
  • Elk Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Creek
    • Elk Creek is located in Texas County
  • Hartshorn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartshorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartshorn
    • Hartshorn is located in Texas County
  • Hattie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hattie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattie
    • Hattie is located in Texas County
  • Summersville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summersville
    • Summersville is located in Texas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summersville <2>
  • Varvol
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varvol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varvol
    • Varvol is located in Texas County
  • Oscar
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
    • Oscar is located in Texas County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lundy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lundy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lundy
      • Lundy is located in Texas County
    • Oakside
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakside
      • Oakside is located in Shannon County
    • Nile
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nile
      • Nile is located in Texas County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Big Creek ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Creek.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Big Creek. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Big Creek and those printed in the larger area surrounding Big Creek.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5> of Big Creek.

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 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 Big Creek:

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

The official website for State of Missouri: https://www.mo.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Big Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Big Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.2356, Longitude: -91.8443       In this case, the coordinates for Big Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025