RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Missouri >> Morgan County >> Florence >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Missouri

The Commemorative Quarter for Missouri





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 Florence (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 Florence. 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 hospitals 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.

Florence is located in Morgan County.

To see how the shape of Missouri's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Morgan County: Benton, Camden, Cooper, Miller, Moniteau & Pettis.

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

  • Morgan County     (The home county of Florence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Syracuse
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syracuse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
      • Syracuse is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Syracuse <2>
    • Glensted
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Stover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stover
      • Stover is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,096 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stover <2>
    • Versailles
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Versailles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
      • Versailles is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Versailles <2>
    • Excelsior
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Excelsior. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
      • Excelsior is located in Morgan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Excelsior
      • From Florence to Excelsior
    • Barnett
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Gravois Mills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rocky Mount
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Mount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Mount
      • Rocky Mount is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rocky Mount <2>
    • Laurie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurie
      • Laurie is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 980 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurie <2>
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Mora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Benton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mora
      • From Florence to Mora
    • Cole Camp
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ionia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ionia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ionia
      • Ionia is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
    • Edmonson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Lincoln
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Palo Pinto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Camden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Sunrise Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunrise Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Beach
      • Sunrise Beach is located in Camden County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunrise Beach <2>
    • Four Seasons
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Russellville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russellville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
      • Russellville is located in Cole County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 827 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Russellville <2>
    • Centertown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centertown
      • Centertown is located in Cole County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Centertown <2>
  • Cooper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Otterville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otterville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
      • Otterville is located in Cooper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 453 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otterville <2>
    • Clifton City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton City
      • Clifton City is located in Cooper County
    • Harriston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harriston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harriston
      • Harriston is located in Cooper County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harriston
      • From Florence to Harriston
    • Bunceton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunceton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunceton
      • Bunceton is located in Cooper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunceton <2>
    • Petersburg ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
      • Petersburg is located in Cooper County
    • Bellair
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Pilot Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pilot Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
      • Pilot Grove is located in Cooper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pilot Grove <2>
    • Lone Elm
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Pisgah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pisgah. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
      • Pisgah is located in Cooper County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pisgah
      • From Florence to Pisgah
    • Lamine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Prairie Home
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Home have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Home
      • Prairie Home is located in Cooper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 280 people
    • Blackwater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Clarks Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Henry County
    • Windsor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windsor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
      • Windsor is located in Henry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,813 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windsor <2>
  • Miller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Eldon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldon
      • Eldon is located in Miller County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldon <2>
    • Olean
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Aurora Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Mount
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Moniteau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Fortuna
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fortuna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fortuna
      • Fortuna is located in Moniteau County
    • Tipton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tipton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
      • Tipton is located in Moniteau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,880 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tipton <2>
    • Latham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Latham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
      • Latham is located in Moniteau County
    • Clarksburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksburg
      • Clarksburg is located in Moniteau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
    • California
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for California have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for California
      • California is located in Moniteau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for California <2>
    • High Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • McGirk
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McGirk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGirk
      • McGirk is located in Moniteau County
    • Jamestown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Moniteau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 397 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jamestown <2>
  • Pettis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Smithton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Spring Fork
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Fork
      • Spring Fork is located in Pettis County
    • Sedalia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Georgetown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Georgetown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Pettis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Georgetown
      • From Florence to Georgetown
    • Green Ridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
      • Green Ridge is located in Pettis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
    • Hughesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hughesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughesville
      • Hughesville is located in Pettis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
    • La Monte
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Tedieville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tedieville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedieville
      • Tedieville is located in Pettis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tedieville
      • From Florence to Tedieville
    • Houstonia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
    • Nelson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Marshall Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshall Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall Junction
      • Marshall Junction is located in Saline County

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

Cemeteries Near Florence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Florence.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Florence had a population of 50 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Pyrmont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pyrmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyrmont
    • Pyrmont is located in Morgan County
  • Syracuse
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syracuse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
    • Syracuse is located in Morgan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Syracuse <2>
  • Byberry ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byberry
    • Byberry is located in Cooper County
  • Otterville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otterville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
    • Otterville is located in Cooper County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 453 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otterville <2>
  • Glensted
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Smithton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Bahner
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bahner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bahner
    • Bahner is located in Pettis County
  • Lake Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Creek
    • Lake Creek is located in Benton County
  • Fortuna
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fortuna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fortuna
    • Fortuna is located in Moniteau County
  • Stover
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stover
    • Stover is located in Morgan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,096 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stover <2>
  • Tipton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tipton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
    • Tipton is located in Moniteau County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,880 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tipton <2>
  • Clifton City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton City
    • Clifton City is located in Cooper County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Versailles
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Versailles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
      • Versailles is located in Morgan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Versailles <2>
    • Mora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Benton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mora
      • From Florence to Mora
    • Beaman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaman
      • Beaman is located in Pettis County

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

Newspapers Published in Florence ...

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 Florence.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Florence, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Florence.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Florence:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Florence. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Missouri: https://www.mo.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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- Florence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Florence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5887, Longitude: -92.9791    
<6>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 Florence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025