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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 Riggs (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 Riggs. 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 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 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.

Riggs is located in Boone 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 Boone County: Audrain, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau & Randolph.

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

  • Boone County     (The home county of Riggs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riggs, with the one closest to Riggs listed first.
    • Sturgeon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Harrisburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hallsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hinton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Stephens
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Centralia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Moores Switch
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Columbia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Rocheport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Huntsdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Huntsdale is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • McBaine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • McBaine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBaine
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12 people
    • Pierpont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Pierpont is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierpont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Ashland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Audrain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riggs, with the one closest to Riggs listed first.
    • Larrabee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Larrabee is located in Audrain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larrabee
    • Saling ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Tulip
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Thompson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Thompson is located in Audrain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Mexico
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Vandiver
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Vandiver is located in Audrain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandiver
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
  • Callaway County
  • Chariton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riggs, with the one closest to Riggs listed first.
    • Lewis Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Oil City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Oil City is located in Chariton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
    • Salisbury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Cooper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riggs, with the one closest to Riggs listed first.
    • Wooldridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Windsor Place village
      (24 miles [38.6 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
    • Boonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Clarks Fork
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Prairie Home
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Prairie Home is located in Cooper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Home
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 280 people
  • Howard County
  • Moniteau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riggs, with the one closest to Riggs listed first.
    • Lupus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Lupus is located in Moniteau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lupus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Jamestown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Monroe County
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riggs, with the one closest to Riggs listed first.
    • Clark
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Clark is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
    • Renick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Renick is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
    • Higbee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Yates
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Moberly
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Huntsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cairo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Clifton Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Clifton Hill is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Jacksonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Darksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Thomas Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Saline County

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

Cemeteries Near Riggs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Riggs.

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

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

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

  • Nailer Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Riggs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Palmer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Horeb Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Robison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Far West Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Sturgeon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Harrisburg Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Botner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Dripping Spring Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Chapel Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (191 more) ...
    • Fountain Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Ancell Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Riggs had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Rileysburg ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rileysburg is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rileysburg
  • Perche ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Perche is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perche
  • Sturgeon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Harrisburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hallsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Larrabee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Larrabee is located in Audrain County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larrabee
  • Clark
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Clark is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
  • Hinton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Sebree
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Woodlandville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodlandville is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlandville
  • Stephens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Switzler
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Switzler is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzler
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Points ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Points is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Points
    • Centralia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Renick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Renick is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renick
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people

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

Newspapers Published in Riggs ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Riggs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Riggs, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Riggs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Riggs:

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 Riggs, 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 from Point A (ie- Riggs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.