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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 Rector (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 Rector. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Rector is located in Shannon 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 Shannon County: Carter, Dent, Howell, Oregon, Reynolds & Texas.

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

  • Shannon County     (The home county of Rector)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Akers
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Akers is located in Shannon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akers
    • Round Spring
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Round Spring is located in Shannon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Spring
    • Alley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Alley is located in Shannon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alley
    • Eminence
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Birch Tree
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Montier
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Montier is located in Shannon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montier
    • Winona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Cook Station
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Cook Station is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cook Station
    • Dillard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dillard is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillard
  • Dent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Jadwin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jadwin is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jadwin
    • Darien
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Darien is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
    • Gila
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Gila is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gila
    • Doss
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Doss is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doss
    • Jack
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jack is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jack
    • Coulstone
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Coulstone is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coulstone
    • Bunker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Salem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Howes
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Howes is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howes
    • Lenox
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lenox is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
    • Boss
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Boss is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boss
    • Sligo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Sligo is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sligo
  • Howell County
    • Mountain View
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Iron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Bixby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Viburnum
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Phelps County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Beulah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Beulah is located in Phelps County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Edgar Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Reynolds County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Greeley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Greeley is located in Reynolds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greeley
    • Bee Fork
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Bee Fork is located in Reynolds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Fork
    • Reynolds
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Reynolds is located in Reynolds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds
    • Corridon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Corridon is located in Reynolds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corridon
    • Fruit City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Fruit City is located in Reynolds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruit City
    • Oates
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Oates is located in Reynolds County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oates
    • Centerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Texas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.
    • Hartshorn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Hartshorn is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartshorn
    • Summersville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Eunice
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Raymondville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Yukon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Yukon is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Licking
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Sherrill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Sherrill is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherrill
    • Mineral Springs City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Mineral Springs City is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Springs City
    • Houston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Hattie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Hattie is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hattie
    • Solo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Solo is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solo
    • Bucyrus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Rector ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rector.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rector, with the one closest to Rector listed first.

  • Rector Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Halbrook Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Akers Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akers Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Akers Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Akers.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1995307 <2>
  • Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bedwell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Weese Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Short Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Gray Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Chrisco Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Empire Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lone Pine - Piatt Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cage - Lane Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (205 more) ...
    • Delmar Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Halbrook Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Smith Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)

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>

While we didn't find Rector in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rector.

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

  • Akers
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Akers is located in Shannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akers
  • Sinkin ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Sinkin is located in Shannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinkin
  • Cedargrove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Cedargrove is located in Shannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedargrove
  • Jadwin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jadwin is located in Dent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jadwin
  • Gladden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Gladden is located in Dent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladden
  • Custer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Custer is located in Dent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
  • Nile
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Nile is located in Texas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nile
  • Darien
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Darien is located in Dent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
  • Ink
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Ink is located in Shannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ink
  • Round Spring
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Round Spring is located in Shannon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Spring
  • Montauk
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Montauk is located in Dent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montauk
  • Gila
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Gila is located in Dent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gila
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Doss
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Doss is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doss
    • Joy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Joy is located in Dent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joy
    • Hartshorn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Hartshorn is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartshorn

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

Newspapers Published in Rector ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rector.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rector, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rector.

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 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 Rector:

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 Rector, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rector) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.