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 Rensselaer (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 Rensselaer. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Rensselaer is located in Ralls 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 Ralls County: Pike (IL), Audrain, Marion, Monroe & Pike.
Below are the counties that are near Rensselaer. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rensselaer:
- Ralls County (The home county of Rensselaer)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- New London
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- The Landing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- The Landing is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Landing
- Center
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Shaver Ford ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Shaver Ford is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaver Ford
- Saverton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Saverton is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saverton
- Madisonville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Madisonville is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madisonville
- Greenlawn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Greenlawn is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlawn
- Perry
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Audrain County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Vandalia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Farber
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Farber is located in Audrain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farber
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Laddonia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Maywood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Maywood is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maywood
- Durham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Weber
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Weber is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
- Ewing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gilead
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gilead is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- La Grange
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Argola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Argola is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argola
- Sellers
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sellers is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Oakwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Oakwood is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Hannibal
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Dodge City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Dodge City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
- Palmyra
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Helton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Helton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Cave City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Cave City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave City
- Philadelphia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Philadelphia is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Taylor
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Nelsonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nelsonville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Monroe City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Florida
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Stoutsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- North Fork
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- North Fork is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
- Goss
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Goss is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss
- Santa Fe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Santa Fe is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Santa Fe
- Paris
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Granville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Granville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Frankford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ashburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ashburn is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashburn
- Population from the 2010 Census: 52 people
- Curryville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Curryville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curryville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- New Harmony
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- New Harmony is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Harmony
- Tarrants
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tarrants is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarrants
- Population from the 2010 Census: 22 people
- Bowling Green
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Louisiana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Hunnewell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hunnewell is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunnewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
- Emden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Emden is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emden
- Kendall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Kendall is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
- Lakenan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Lakenan is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakenan
- Shelbina
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Shelbyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Shelbyville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelbyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 512 people
- Bethel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Adams County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Fall Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fall Creek is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Creek
- Marblehead
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Marblehead is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marblehead
- Payson
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Quincy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Plainville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Adams
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Adams is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Burton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Burton is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Ewbanks
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ewbanks is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewbanks
- Fowler
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ursa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Beverly
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Beverly is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
- Pike County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Shepherd
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Shepherd is located in Pike County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherd
- Spencer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Spencer is located in Pike County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Hull
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- New Canton
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- New Canton is located in Pike County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
- Barry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- El Dara
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Rockport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hadley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hadley is located in Pike County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadley
- Pike
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pike is located in Pike County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rensselaer, see our County-by-County Page for Rensselaer.
Cemeteries Near Rensselaer ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rensselaer.
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 Rensselaer - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rensselaer covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- Big Creek Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Foreman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Finley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- West Ely Graveyard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Greathouse Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bear Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Barkley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Norton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Flowerree Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Dimmitt Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Grand View Burial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Burial Park
- The Grand View Burial Park has also been known as:
- Grandview Burial Park
- Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (269 more) ...
- Head Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nelson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Minoi - Sandiage Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rensselaer had a population of 51 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Rensselaer had a population of 229 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rensselaer, with the one closest to Rensselaer listed first.
- West Ely
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- West Ely is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ely
- Huntington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Huntington is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
- Withers Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Withers Mill is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withers Mill
- Barkley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Barkley is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barkley
- Ely
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ely is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ely
- Hatch
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hatch is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatch
- Woodland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Woodland is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Hassard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hassard is located in Ralls County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hassard
- Oakwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Oakwood is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Hannibal
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Palmyra
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- New London
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Helton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Helton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- East Hannibal
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Hannibal is located in Pike County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hannibal
- Monroe City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rensselaer. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rensselaer.
Newspapers Published in Rensselaer ...
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 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rensselaer.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rensselaer, 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 Rensselaer.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Rensselaer:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Ralls County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Audrain County
- Lewis County
- Marion County
- Monroe County
- Pike County
- Shelby County
- Adams County
- Pike 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 Rensselaer, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rensselaer) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |