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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 Osborn (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 Osborn. 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 Osborn ...

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.

Another variation: Osborne.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Osborn. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Osborn.

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 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.

Osborn is primarily located in DeKalb County. A portion of Osborn extends into Clinton 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 DeKalb County: Andrew, Buchanan, Caldwell, Clinton, Daviess, Gentry & Harrison.

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

  • DeKalb County     (The home county of Osborn)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn listed first.
    • Stewartsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Maysville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Amity
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarksdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Clarksdale is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
    • Weatherby
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Weatherby is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weatherby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
    • Fairport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Santa Rosa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Winslow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Union Star
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Andrew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn listed first.
    • Cosby
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Cosby is located in Andrew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cosby
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
    • Helena
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Helena is located in Andrew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Rochester ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Avenue City ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Avenue City is located in Andrew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avenue City
    • Country Club
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Country Club is located in Andrew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Club
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,530 people
    • Savannah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rea
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Wyeth ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Amazonia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Amazonia is located in Andrew County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amazonia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 320 people
  • Buchanan County
  • Caldwell County
  • Clay County
  • Clinton County
  • Daviess County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn listed first.
    • Mabel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Alta Vista ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Winston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Altamont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Altamont is located in Daviess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
    • Gallatin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Jameson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pattonsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Coffey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Coffey is located in Daviess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
  • Gentry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn listed first.
    • King City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ford City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Ford City is located in Gentry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ford City
    • McFall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Gentryville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Island City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Island City is located in Gentry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island City
  • Platte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn listed first.
    • Edgerton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgely
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Ridgely is located in Platte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
    • Dearborn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Camden Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn listed first.
    • Elmira
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Elmira is located in Ray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
    • Lawson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Excelsior Estates
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Excelsior Estates is located in Ray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior Estates
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Homestead
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Homestead is located in Ray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homestead
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Knoxville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Crystal Lakes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Crystal Lakes is located in Ray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Wood Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Wood Heights is located in Ray County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 700 people
    • Georgeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Woods Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Doniphan County (KS)
    • Elwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Osborn ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Osborn.

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 Osborn - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Osborn, with the one closest to Osborn 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Osborn had a population of 373 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Osborn had a population of 408 people.

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

  • Keystone ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Keystone is located in Clinton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
  • Perrin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Perrin is located in Clinton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrin
  • Cameron
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Stewartsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Maysville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Amity
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Mabel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Starfield
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Clarksdale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarksdale is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
  • Hemple
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Hemple is located in Clinton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemple
  • Kerr
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Kerr is located in Caldwell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerr
  • Weatherby
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Weatherby is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weatherby
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 103 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Bayfield ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Bayfield is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayfield
    • Plattsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Lathrop
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Osborn ...

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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around Osborn.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Osborn. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Osborn and those printed in the larger area surrounding Osborn.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Osborn.

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 Osborn:

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 Osborn, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Osborn) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.