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 Fair Play (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 Fair Play. 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 Fair Play ...
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.
Another variation: Fairplay.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fair Play. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fair Play.
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 northeast 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 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.
Fair Play is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Cedar, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Hickory & Saint Clair.
Below are the counties that are near Fair Play. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fair Play:
- Polk County (The home county of Fair Play)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Dunnegan
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Dunnegan is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnegan
- Aldrich
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Aldrich is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Bolivar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Eudora
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Eudora is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eudora
- Wishart
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wishart is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishart
- Humansville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Rondo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rondo is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rondo
- Flemington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Flemington is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- Graydon Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Graydon Springs is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graydon Springs
- Morrisville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Polk
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Polk is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk
- Brighton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Goodson
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Goodson is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodson
- Barton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Newport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Newport is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Layneville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Layneville is located in Barton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layneville
- Cedar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Stockton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Umber View Heights
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Umber View Heights is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Umber View Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 49 people
- Caplinger Mills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Caplinger Mills is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caplinger Mills
- Jerico Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Jerico Springs is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
- Lebeck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lebeck is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebeck
- Willowville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Willowville is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowville
- Virgil City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Virgil City is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil City
- El Dorado Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dade County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Bona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bona is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bona
- Dadeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Corry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Corry is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corry
- Glen Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Glen Town is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Town
- Arcola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Arcola is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 53 people
- Greenfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Everton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Pilgrim
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pilgrim is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim
- South Greenfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- South Greenfield is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Greenfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Lockwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lockwood is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
- Dallas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Louisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Louisburg is located in Dallas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Buffalo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Urbana
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Walnut Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Phenix ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Phenix is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phenix
- Phenix has also been known as:
- Phenix Quarry
- Ash Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Willard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bois D'Arc
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Fair Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Weaubleau
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Elkton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Elkton is located in Hickory County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
- Pittsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Galmey
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Galmey is located in Hickory County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galmey
- Wheatland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Nemo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Nemo is located in Hickory County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemo
- Hermitage
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Quincy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Quincy is located in Hickory County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
- Preston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Stinson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Stinson is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Halltown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Collins
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cobb
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cobb is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
- Gerster
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Gerster is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerster
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
- Vista
(25 miles [40.2 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
- Roscoe
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Osceola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Vernon County
- Montevallo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Montevallo is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevallo
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fair Play, see our County-by-County Page for Fair Play.
Cemeteries Near Fair Play ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fair Play.
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 Fair Play - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fair Play covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Akard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Bushy Creek Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cave Spring Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Trimble Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pickel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wollard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hartley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Neil Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Union Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Dunnegan Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lindley Prairie Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (230 more) ...
- Hubbard Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Spencer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- McDaniel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
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 Fair Play had a population of 140 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Fair Play had a population of 488 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Fair Play, with the one closest to Fair Play listed first.
- Bearcreek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bearcreek is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearcreek
- Dunnegan
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Dunnegan is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnegan
- Aldrich
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Aldrich is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldrich
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Orleans ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Orleans is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
- Cane Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cane Hill is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Hill
- Bolivar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Wishart
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wishart is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishart
- Arnica
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Arnica is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnica
- Humansville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Dadeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rondo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rondo is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rondo
- Corry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Corry is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corry
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- Graydon Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Graydon Springs is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graydon Springs
- Stockton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Seybert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Seybert is located in Dade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seybert
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fair Play. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fair Play.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fair Play ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fair Play.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fair Play. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fair Play and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fair Play.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4> of Fair Play.
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 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 Fair Play:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Polk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barton County
- Cedar County
- Dade County
- Dallas County
- Greene County
- Hickory County
- Lawrence County
- Saint Clair County
- Vernon 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 Fair Play, 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 from Point A (ie- Fair Play) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |