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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 Japan (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 Japan. 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 and 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.

Japan is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Crawford, Gasconade, Jefferson, Saint Charles, Saint Louis, Warren & Washington.

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

  • Franklin County     (The home county of Japan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Boone ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boone
      • Boone is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Boone
      • From Japan to Boone
    • Elmont
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Strain
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Champion City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Sullivan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sullivan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Sullivan is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sullivan <3>
    • Oak Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Stanton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Charmwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Gerald
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Caseyville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caseyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseyville
      • Caseyville is located in Franklin County
    • Leslie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leslie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie
      • Leslie is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
    • Greenstreet
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Argo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Argo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
      • Argo is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Argo
      • From Japan to Argo
    • Bourbon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bourbon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourbon
      • Bourbon is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,563 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bourbon <3>
    • Saint Cloud
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Cloud have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Cloud
      • Saint Cloud is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
    • West Sullivan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Sullivan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sullivan
      • West Sullivan is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
    • Oak Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Leasburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leasburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasburg
      • Leasburg is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leasburg <3>
    • Jake Prairie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Cuba
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Scotia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotia
      • Scotia is located in Crawford County
    • Elaver
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Midland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
      • Midland is located in Crawford County
    • Sankey ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sankey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sankey
      • Sankey is located in Crawford County
  • Gasconade County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Bem
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rosebud
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosebud have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosebud
      • Rosebud is located in Gasconade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosebud <3>
    • Owensville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Redbird
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Bland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bland
      • Bland is located in Gasconade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 523 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bland <3>
    • Mount Sterling
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
      • Mount Sterling is located in Gasconade County
    • Little Berger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson County
    • Grubville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grubville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubville
      • Grubville is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grubville
      • From Japan to Grubville
  • Maries County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Belle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle
      • Belle is located in Maries County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,489 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belle <3>
    • Lanes Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Lindell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lindell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
      • Lindell is located in Maries County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lindell
      • From Japan to Lindell
    • Paydown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paydown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paydown
      • Paydown is located in Maries County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Paydown
      • From Japan to Paydown
    • Vichy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vichy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vichy
      • Vichy is located in Maries County
  • Osage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Byron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Byron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byron
      • Byron is located in Osage County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Byron
      • From Japan to Byron
    • Koenig
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Phelps County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Rosati
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint James
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint James have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint James
      • Saint James is located in Phelps County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,006 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint James <3>
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Treloar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Treloar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Treloar
      • Treloar is located in Warren County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Treloar <3>
    • Village of Three Creeks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Village of Three Creeks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village of Three Creeks
      • Village of Three Creeks is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6 people
      • Village of Three Creeks has also been known as:
      • Three Creeks village
    • Dutzow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Marthasville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan listed first.
    • Berryman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berryman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryman
      • Berryman is located in Washington County
    • Richwoods
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwoods have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwoods
      • Richwoods is located in Washington County
    • Fourche a Renault ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Aptus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Aptus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptus
      • Aptus is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Aptus
      • From Japan to Aptus

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

Cemeteries Near Japan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Japan.

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 Japan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Japan, with the one closest to Japan 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 in 1895, Japan had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Elmont
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Argo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Argo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo
    • Argo is located in Crawford County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Argo
    • From Japan to Argo
  • Spring Bluff
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bluff
    • Spring Bluff is located in Franklin County
  • Champion City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Oak Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Bourbon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bourbon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourbon
    • Bourbon is located in Crawford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,563 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bourbon <3>
  • Sullivan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sullivan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
    • Sullivan is located in Franklin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,117 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sullivan <3>
  • Delhi ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delhi have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • Delhi is located in Crawford County
  • Coffeyton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffeyton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffeyton
    • Coffeyton is located in Crawford County
  • Leasburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leasburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasburg
    • Leasburg is located in Crawford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leasburg <3>
  • Bem
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Stanton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Japan ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Japan.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Japan, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Japan.

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 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 Japan:

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

The official website for Franklin County: www.franklinmo.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 'straight-line' (or 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- Japan) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Japan. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2393, Longitude: -91.3040    
<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 Japan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025