Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Gaines Ford. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Gaines Ford to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Gaines Ford, please Contact Us.
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 Gaines Ford (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 Gaines Ford. 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 Gaines Ford ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Gaines Ford: Gaines Frd.
- While the name of this community is Gaines Ford, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Gaines Ford may originally have been Gaine's Ford.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Gaines Ford might be written as Gaine Ford.
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 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Gaines Ford is historic, it would have been located within present day Maries 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 Maries County: Gasconade, Miller, Osage, Phelps & Pulaski.
Below are the counties that are near Gaines Ford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gaines Ford:
- Maries County (The home county of Gaines Ford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Vichy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Vichy is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vichy
- Vienna
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lindell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lindell is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Brinktown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brinktown is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinktown
- Paydown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Paydown is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paydown
- Lanes Prairie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lanes Prairie is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanes Prairie
- Belle
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Cole County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Saint Thomas
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Thomas is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Teal ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Teal is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teal
- Henley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Henley is located in Cole County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henley
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Jake Prairie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Jake Prairie is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jake Prairie
- Cuba
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Wesco
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wesco is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesco
- Steelville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sankey ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sankey is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sankey
- Cook Station
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cook Station is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook Station
- Dent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Lecoma
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lecoma is located in Dent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lecoma
- Lake Spring
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Spring is located in Dent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Spring
- Lenox
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lenox is located in Dent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Gasconade County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Redbird
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Redbird is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbird
- Bland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bem
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bem is located in Gasconade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bem
- Owensville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Miller County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Iberia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Saint Elizabeth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Marys Home
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Marys Home is located in Miller County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marys Home
- Ulman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Osage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Freeburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Freeburg is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Argyle
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Argyle is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
- Koeltztown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Koeltztown is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koeltztown
- Koenig
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Koenig is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koenig
- Byron
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Byron is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
- Meta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Westphalia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Folk
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Folk is located in Osage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folk
- Linn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Phelps County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Doolittle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Doolittle is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolittle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 595 people
- Newburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Newburg is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
- Rolla
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Arlington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Jerome
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jerome is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Saint James
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Rosati
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Rosati is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosati
- Edgar Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Duke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Duke is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke
- Beulah
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Beulah is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Dixon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Devils Elbow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Robert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Crocker
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Waynesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Swedeborg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Swedeborg is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedeborg
- Hawkeye
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hawkeye is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
- Bloodland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bloodland is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloodland
- Laquey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Laquey is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laquey
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gaines Ford, see our County-by-County Page for Gaines Ford.
Cemeteries Near Gaines Ford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gaines Ford.
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 Gaines Ford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gaines Ford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Honse Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Davis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Maxwell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Balance Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Ramsey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Wynn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Spencer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Davis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hodge Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fulkerson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Camp Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Miller Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (287 more) ...
- Tennison Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tennison Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Feeler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.
While we didn't find Gaines Ford in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gaines Ford.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gaines Ford, with the one closest to Gaines Ford listed first.
- Hayden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hayden is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayden
- Vichy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Vichy is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vichy
- Newburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Newburg is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 432 people
- Vienna
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lois
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lois is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lois
- Lindell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lindell is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Franks
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Franks is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
- Jerome
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jerome is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Arlington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Rolla
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dixon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Dillon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dillon is located in Phelps County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Lanes Prairie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lanes Prairie is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanes Prairie
- Paydown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Paydown is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paydown
- Safe
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Safe is located in Maries County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Safe
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gaines Ford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gaines Ford.
Newspapers Published in Gaines Ford ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gaines Ford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gaines Ford, 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 Gaines Ford.
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 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 Gaines Ford:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Maries County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cole County
- Crawford County
- Dent County
- Gasconade County
- Miller County
- Osage County
- Phelps County
- Pulaski County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Missouri
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Gaines Ford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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- Gaines Ford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |