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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 Erie (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 Erie. 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 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.

Erie is located in McDonald 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 McDonald County: Benton (AR), Barry, Newton, Delaware (OK) & Ottawa (OK).

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

  • McDonald County     (The home county of Erie)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Erie, with the one closest to Erie listed first.
    • Goodman
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Wylie
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Anderson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • May
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lanagan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ginger Blue
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ginger Blue is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ginger Blue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • Pineville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jane
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Powell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Powell is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
    • Noel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Noel is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noel <1>
    • Tiff City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Tiff City is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiff City
    • Rocky Comfort
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • South West City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Barry County
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Erie, with the one closest to Erie listed first.
    • Rex City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Rex City is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rex City
    • Duenweg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Duquesne
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Duquesne is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duquesne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,689 people
    • Fidelity
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Motley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • East Joplin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Joplin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Parshley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Iron Gates
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Iron Gates is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gates
    • West Joplin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Sarcoxie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakland Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Oakland Park is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Park
    • Central City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Central City is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
  • Lawrence County
  • Newton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Erie, with the one closest to Erie listed first.
    • Boulder City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Boulder City is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder City
    • Stella
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Neosho
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Stark City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Granby
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Newtonia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Racine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Racine is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Granby City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Granby City is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby City
    • Seneca
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Ritchey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Ritchey is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritchey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
    • Diamond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Park is located in Newton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park
  • Benton County (AR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Erie, with the one closest to Erie listed first.
    • Sulphur Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bella Vista
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Hiwasse
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Gravette
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Pea Ridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Gallatin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Gallatin is located in Benton County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallatin
    • Centerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bentonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Pactolus ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Pactolus is located in Benton County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pactolus
    • Little Flock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Little Flock is located in Benton County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Flock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,812 people
    • Maysville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rome City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rome City is located in Benton County (AR)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome City
    • Avoca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Cherokee County (KS)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Erie, with the one closest to Erie listed first.
    • East Galena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • East Galena is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galena
    • South Galena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • South Galena is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Galena
    • Baxter Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Commonwealth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Galena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lowell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lowell is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell has also been known as:
      • Lowell Station
    • Baxter Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Baxter Junction is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter Junction
    • Empire City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Empire City is located in Cherokee County (KS)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire City
    • Riverton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Delaware County (OK)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Erie, with the one closest to Erie listed first.
    • Cayuga
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Dodge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Dodge is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge
    • Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Copeland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Copeland is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
    • Sycamore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sycamore is located in Delaware County (OK)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
  • Ottawa County (OK)

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

Cemeteries Near Erie ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Erie.

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

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

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

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 Erie had a population of 60 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • McElhany
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • McElhany is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McElhany
  • Splitlog
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Splitlog is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Splitlog
  • Anderson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Christopher
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Christopher is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christopher
  • Bethpage
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Bethpage is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethpage
  • Neosho
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Cyclone
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cyclone is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyclone
  • Stella
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Coy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Coy is located in McDonald County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coy
  • Belfast
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Belfast is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
  • Wanda
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wanda is located in Newton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanda
  • Pineville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Jane
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Powell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Powell is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
    • Hart
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Hart is located in McDonald County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hart

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

Newspapers Published in Erie ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Erie.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Erie, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Erie.

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 either 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 Erie:

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 Erie, 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' (or 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- Erie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.