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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 Collins (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 Collins. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Collins is located in Saint Clair 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 Clair County: Bates, Benton, Cedar, Henry, Hickory, Polk & Vernon.

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

  • Saint Clair County     (The home county of Collins)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Gerster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Gerster is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Vista
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Vista is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
    • Cobb
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Cobb is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
    • Osceola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Roscoe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Roscoe is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <1>
    • Monegaw Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Monegaw Springs is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monegaw Springs
    • Lowry City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Johnson City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Johnson City is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson City
    • Appleton City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Bates County
    • Rockville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rockville is located in Bates County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Tackner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Tackner is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tackner
    • Warsaw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Racket
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Racket is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racket
    • Edwards
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Cedar County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Caplinger Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Caplinger Mills is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caplinger Mills
    • Lebeck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Lebeck is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebeck
    • Stockton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Umber View Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Umber View Heights is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umber View Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
    • Willowville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Willowville is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowville
    • El Dorado Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Virgil City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Virgil City is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil City
    • Jerico Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jerico Springs is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
  • Dade County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Bona
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Bona is located in Dade County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bona
    • Glen Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Glen Town is located in Dade County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Town
    • Arcola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Arcola is located in Dade County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53 people
    • Corry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Corry is located in Dade County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corry
    • Dadeville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Dallas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Urbana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Louisburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Louisburg is located in Dallas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Brownington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Brownington is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Deepwater
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Tightwad
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Tightwad is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tightwad
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
  • Hickory County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Weaubleau
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Elkton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Elkton is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
    • Quincy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Quincy is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Wheatland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Galmey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Galmey is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galmey
    • Hermitage
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Pittsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Avery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Avery is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
    • Nemo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Nemo is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemo
    • Preston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Cross Timbers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cross Timbers is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Timbers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Humansville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Flemington
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Flemington is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Dunnegan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Dunnegan is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnegan
    • Rondo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rondo is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rondo
    • Fair Play
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Sentinel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Sentinel is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sentinel
      • Former name for Sentinel:
      • Sentinel Prairie
    • Polk
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Polk is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk
    • Bolivar
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Aldrich
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Aldrich is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
    • Goodson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Goodson is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodson
    • Wishart
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Wishart is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishart
    • Halfway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Halfway is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
    • Eudora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Eudora is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eudora
  • Vernon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins, with the one closest to Collins listed first.
    • Montevallo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Montevallo is located in Vernon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevallo
    • Schell City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Harwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Harwood is located in Vernon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people

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

Cemeteries Near Collins ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Collins.

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 Collins - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Collins covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Culbertson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Allen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Freeman - Holsapple Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Souders Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Nance Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Weaubleau Congregational Christian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Sheeks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Doyal Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Humansville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (240 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Collins had a population of 248 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Collins had a population of 159 people.

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

  • Weaubleau
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Humansville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Vista
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Vista is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
  • Terry
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Terry is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
  • Cobb
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Cobb is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
  • Rookins
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Rookins is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rookins
  • Arnica
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Arnica is located in Cedar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnica
  • Caplinger Mills
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Caplinger Mills is located in Cedar County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caplinger Mills
  • Osceola
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Elkton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Elkton is located in Hickory County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
  • Quincy
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Quincy is located in Hickory County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
  • Roscoe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Roscoe is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dunnegan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Dunnegan is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnegan
    • Rondo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rondo is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rondo
    • Wheatland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Collins ...

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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Collins.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Collins, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Collins.

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 Collins:

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 Collins, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Collins) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.