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 Browns Ford (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 Browns Ford. 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 Browns Ford ...
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 occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Browns Ford: Browns Frd.
- While the name of this community is Browns Ford, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Browns Ford may originally have been Brown's Ford.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Browns Ford might be written as Brown Ford.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Browns Ford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Browns Ford.
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 northwest 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 north.
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 north 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.
Browns Ford is located in Callaway 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 Callaway County: Audrain, Boone, Cole, Gasconade, Montgomery & Osage.
Below are the counties that are near Browns Ford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Browns Ford:
- Callaway County (The home county of Browns Ford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Hord ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hord is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hord
- Tebbetts
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Tebbetts is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tebbetts
- Mokane
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Steedman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Steedman is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steedman
- Lake Mykee Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Lake Mykee Town is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mykee Town
- Estimated population in 2018: 351 people
- New Bloomfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Holts Summit
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fulton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Folsom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Folsom is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
- Portland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Cedar City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar City is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar City
- Kingdom City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Ashland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Oldham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Oldham is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
- Hartsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Pierpont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pierpont is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- Columbia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Moores Switch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Moores Switch is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Switch
- Stephens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Stephens is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens
- McBaine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- McBaine is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBaine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12 people
- Cole County
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Osage City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Osage City is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage City
- Jefferson City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson City is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,972 people
- Jefferson City has also been known as:
- Jeff City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jefferson City <2>
- Taos
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Taos is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taos
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,157 people
- Wardsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Wardsville is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,570 people
- Scruggs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Scruggs is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scruggs
- Saint Martins
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Saint Martins is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Martins
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,204 people
- Lohman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Centertown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Saint Thomas
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Thomas is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Russellville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Teal ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Teal is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teal
- Decatur
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Decatur is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur
- Gasconade County
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Morrison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Gasconade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Gasconade is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gasconade
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Mount Sterling
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Sterling is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Hermann
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Little Berger
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Little Berger is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Berger
- Moniteau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Jamestown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lupus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lupus is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lupus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- McGirk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- McGirk is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGirk
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Bluffton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Bluffton is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
- Americus
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Americus is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Americus
- Starkenburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Starkenburg is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starkenburg
- Rhineland
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Big Spring
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Big Spring is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Danville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- McKittrick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Montgomery City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- New Florence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Osage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Isbell ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Isbell is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isbell
- Bonnots Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- French Village ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- French Village is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Village
- Chamois
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Loose Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Linn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Westphalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Folk
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Folk is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folk
- Freeburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Freeburg is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Koeltztown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Koeltztown is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koeltztown
- Koenig
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Koenig is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koenig
- Argyle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Argyle is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Browns Ford, see our County-by-County Page for Browns Ford.
Cemeteries Near Browns Ford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Browns Ford.
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 Browns Ford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Browns Ford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cave Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Williams Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Middle River Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Knight Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bush Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- James Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Boyce Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Caldwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Foster Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Muir Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (290 more) ...
- Farmer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- United Brethren Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Providence 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.<3>
While we didn't find Browns Ford in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Browns Ford.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Browns Ford, with the one closest to Browns Ford listed first.
- Hord ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hord is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hord
- Hams Prairie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hams Prairie is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hams Prairie
- Effie ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Effie is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effie
- Isbell ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Isbell is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isbell
- New Bloomfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bonnots Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cote Sans Dessein ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cote Sans Dessein is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cote Sans Dessein
- Cote Sans Dessein has also been known as:
- Parkersville
- Carrington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Carrington is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrington
- Guthrie
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Guthrie is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guthrie
- Holts Summit
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Frankenstein
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Frankenstein is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenstein
- Chamois
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Reform
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Reform is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reform
- Fulton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Folsom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Folsom is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Browns Ford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Browns Ford.
Newspapers Published in Browns Ford ...
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 Browns Ford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Browns Ford, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Browns Ford.
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 Browns Ford:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Callaway County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cole County
- Gasconade County
- Moniteau County
- Montgomery County
- Osage County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Missouri
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Browns Ford, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Browns Ford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |