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 Merna (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 Merna. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Merna is located in Cooper 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 Cooper County: Boone, Howard, Moniteau, Morgan, Pettis & Saline.
Below are the counties that are near Merna. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Merna:
- Cooper County (The home county of Merna)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Windsor Place village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Windsor Place village is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Place village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 330 people
- Windsor Place village has also been known as:
- Windsor Place village
- Clarks Fork
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Clarks Fork is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Fork
- Boonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wooldridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wooldridge is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooldridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
- Prairie Home
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Prairie Home is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Home
- Population from the 2020 Census: 280 people
- Lone Elm
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Elm is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Elm
- Lamine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lamine is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamine
- Pisgah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pisgah is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Bellair
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bellair is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellair
- Bunceton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Petersburg ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Petersburg is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Pilot Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Blackwater
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Audrain County
- Larrabee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Larrabee is located in Audrain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larrabee
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Rocheport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Huntsdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Huntsdale is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
- McBaine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- McBaine is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBaine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12 people
- Harrisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Columbia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Hinton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hinton is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
- Moores Switch
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Moores Switch is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moores Switch
- Pierpont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pierpont is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- Stephens
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Stephens is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens
- Riggs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Riggs is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riggs
- Hallsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hartsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Callaway County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Lindbergh
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lindbergh is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindbergh
- Stephens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Stephens is located in Callaway County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens
- Chariton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Lewis Mill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lewis Mill is located in Chariton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis Mill
- Oil City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oil City is located in Chariton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Namrash ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Namrash is located in Chariton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namrash
- Cole County
- Centertown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Howard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- New Franklin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fayette
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Sebree
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sebree is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebree
- Burton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Burton is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Lisbon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lisbon is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Steinmetz
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Steinmetz is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steinmetz
- Armstrong
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Armstrong is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
- Glasgow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Moniteau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Lupus
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lupus is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lupus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Jamestown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Clarksburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Clarksburg is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
- Tipton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- California
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- McGirk
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- McGirk is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGirk
- Latham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Latham is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham
- Fortuna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Fortuna is located in Moniteau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fortuna
- Morgan County
- Syracuse
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pettis County
- Longwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Longwood is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Yates
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Yates is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Higbee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Clark
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clark is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- Renick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Renick is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renick
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Saline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Arrow Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saline City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Saline City is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline City
- West Glasgow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- West Glasgow is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Glasgow
- Nelson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Nelson is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
- Napton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Napton is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napton
- Gilliam
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gilliam is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilliam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
- Slater
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Marshall Junction
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Marshall Junction is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall Junction
- Blue Lick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Blue Lick is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Lick
- Marshall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Merna, see our County-by-County Page for Merna.
Cemeteries Near Merna ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merna.
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 Merna - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Merna covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Schmidt Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Robinson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Drake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Clayton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Hill MB Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Big Lick Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hourigan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- New Salem Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- McCullock Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullock Cemetery
- The McCullock Cemetery has also been known as:
- McCulloch - Bishop Cemetery
- McCulloch Cemetery
- McCullough Cemetery
- Continue List (225 more) ...
- Providence Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Sugar Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ricketts Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<2>
While we didn't find Merna in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Merna.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Merna, with the one closest to Merna listed first.
- Overton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Overton is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
- Rocheport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Clarks Fork
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Clarks Fork is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Fork
- Boonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Franklin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Estill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Estill is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estill
- Billingsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Billingsville is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billingsville
- Midway
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Midway is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Woodlandville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Woodlandville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlandville
- Speed
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Speed is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speed
- Lone Elm
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Elm is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Elm
- Prairie Home
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Prairie Home is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Home
- Population from the 2020 Census: 280 people
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Sebree
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sebree is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebree
- Boonesboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lamine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lamine is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamine
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Merna. See our List of 1890's Communities around Merna.
Newspapers Published in Merna ...
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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merna.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merna, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merna.
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 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 Merna:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Cooper County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Audrain County
- Boone County
- Callaway County
- Chariton County
- Cole County
- Howard County
- Moniteau County
- Morgan County
- Pettis County
- Randolph County
- Saline 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> | 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 Merna, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Merna) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |