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 China (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 China. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
China is located in Howell 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 Howell County: Fulton (AR), Douglas, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon & Texas.
Below are the counties that are near China. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to China:
- Howell County (The home county of China)
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Cottbus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cottbus is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottbus
- South Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- South Fork is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
- Lebo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lebo is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebo
- Moody
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Moody is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody
- West Plains
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Chapin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Chapin is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
- Lanton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lanton is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanton
- Pottersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pottersville is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottersville
- Cornertown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cornertown is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornertown
- Brandsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Brandsville is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
- Caulfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Ott
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ott is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Richville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Richville is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richville
- Buckhart
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Buckhart is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhart
- Gentryville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gentryville is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentryville
- Oregon County
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Koshkonong
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Koshkonong is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koshkonong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Green Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Green Town is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Town
- Thayer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Old Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Old Town is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- Thomasville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Thomasville is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
- Corona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Corona is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
- Alton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Couch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jeff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Jeff is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeff
- Woodside
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Woodside is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
- Ozark County
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Elijah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Elijah is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elijah
- Bakersfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bakersfield is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Dora
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Udall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Udall is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Udall
- Tecumseh
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Trail
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Trail is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trail
- Zanoni ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Zanoni is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zanoni
- Hardenville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Brixey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Brixey is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brixey
- Gainesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Rockbridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Baxter County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Gamaliel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Custer ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Custer is located in Baxter County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Henderson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Clarkridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Clarkridge is located in Baxter County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkridge
- Wake ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wake is located in Baxter County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wake
- Hand ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hand is located in Baxter County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hand
- Rodney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rodney is located in Baxter County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Jordan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fulton County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Moko
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Moko is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moko
- Sturkie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Sturkie is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturkie
- Cornertown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cornertown is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornertown
- Ott
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ott is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott
- Viola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Camp
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Camp is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp
- Salem
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Gepp
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gepp is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gepp
- Mammoth Spring
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Saddle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Saddle is located in Fulton County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddle
- Elizabeth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bexar
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Izard County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Wiseman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Wiseman is located in Izard County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiseman
- Horseshoe Bend
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Oxford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Oxford is located in Izard County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Dolph
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dolph is located in Izard County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolph
- Franklin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wideman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wideman is located in Izard County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wideman
- Sharp County (AR)
- The following are listed by their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Cherokee Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wirth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Wirth is located in Sharp County (AR)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wirth
- Hardy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to China, see our County-by-County Page for China.
Cemeteries Near China ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of China.
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 China - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for China covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Spears Graveyard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Homeland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- McElmerry Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Parker Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Howell County Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Nicks Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cannon Graveyard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Meltabarger Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Blue Mound Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Joyes Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (163 more) ...
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Chapin Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Lawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
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 China in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of China.
These communities are listed based on their distance from China, with the one closest to China listed first.
- Homeland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Homeland is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
- Cottbus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cottbus is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottbus
- South Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- South Fork is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
- Amy
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Amy is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amy
- Moody
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Moody is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moody
- Lanton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lanton is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanton
- Chapin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Chapin is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
- West Plains
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Pottersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pottersville is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottersville
- Cureall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cureall is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cureall
- Brandsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Brandsville is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
- Bakersfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bakersfield is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Koshkonong
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Koshkonong is located in Oregon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koshkonong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Viola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Olden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Olden is located in Howell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olden
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around China. See our List of 1890's Communities around China.
Newspapers Published in China ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around China.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of China, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for China.
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 helpful 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 China:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Howell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Douglas County
- Oregon County
- Ozark County
- Baxter County
- Fulton County
- Izard County
- Sharp 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 China, 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- China) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |