Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Rocky Ford. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Rocky Ford to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Rocky Ford, please Contact Us.
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 Rocky Ford (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 Rocky Ford. 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 Rocky Ford ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Rocky Ford: Rocky Frd.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rocky Ford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rocky Ford.
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 doctors and 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Rocky Ford is historic, it would have been located within present day Vernon 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 Vernon County: Bourbon (KS), Crawford (KS), Linn (KS), Barton, Bates, Cedar & Saint Clair.
Below are the counties that are near Rocky Ford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rocky Ford:
- Vernon County (The home county of Rocky Ford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Schell City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Harwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Harwood is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
- Walker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Walker is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
- Horton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Horton is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Metz
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Metz is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Nevada
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Temple ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Temple is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
- Milo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Milo is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Stotesbury
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Stotesbury is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotesbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17 people
- Montevallo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Montevallo is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevallo
- Deerfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Deerfield is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- Richards
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Richards is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richards
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Bates County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Prairie City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Prairie City is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
- Rockville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rockville is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
- Rich Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- New Home
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- New Home is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Home
- Butler
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nyhart
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nyhart is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nyhart
- Foster
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Foster is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
- Population from the 2020 Census: 111 people
- Passaic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Passaic is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passaic
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
- Hume
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hume is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hume
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Worland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Worland is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worland
- Adrian
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Amoret
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Amoret is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amoret
- Population from the 2020 Census: 181 people
- Cedar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- El Dorado Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lebeck
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lebeck is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebeck
- Virgil City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Virgil City is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgil City
- Willowville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Willowville is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowville
- Caplinger Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Caplinger Mills is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caplinger Mills
- Jerico Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Jerico Springs is located in Cedar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Montrose
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- La Due
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- La Due is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Due
- Population from the 2010 Census: 28 people
- Deepwater
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Brownington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brownington is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Hartwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hartwell is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwell
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Appleton City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Johnson City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Johnson City is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson City
- Monegaw Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Monegaw Springs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monegaw Springs
- Roscoe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cobb
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cobb is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
- Lowry City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Osceola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Vista
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Vista is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Bourbon County (KS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Barnesville ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Barnesville is located in Bourbon County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
- Fulton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hammond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hammond is located in Bourbon County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Bell Town ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bell Town is located in Bourbon County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
- Linn County (KS)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Prescott
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Prescott is located in Linn County (KS)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Pleasanton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rocky Ford, see our County-by-County Page for Rocky Ford.
Cemeteries Near Rocky Ford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rocky Ford.
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 Rocky Ford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rocky Ford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Flat Rock Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Garrison & Westfall Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Maus Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Green Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Green Mound Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Berea Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea Cemetery
- The Berea Cemetery has also been known as:
- Berea Christian Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2173814 <3>
- Bethany Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Carbon Center Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Rockville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lefler Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Meyer Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Round Prairie Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (220 more) ...
- Mound Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Living Faith Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Rogers Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.
While we didn't find Rocky Ford in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rocky Ford.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rocky Ford, with the one closest to Rocky Ford listed first.
- Prairie City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Prairie City is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
- Fair Haven
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fair Haven is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Haven
- Schell City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Harwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Harwood is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
- Rockville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rockville is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
- Carbon Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Carbon Center is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Center
- Ketterman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ketterman is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketterman
- Walker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Walker is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
- Pleasant Gap
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Gap is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Gap
- Rich Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Arthur
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Arthur is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Horton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Horton is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Taberville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Taberville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taberville
- Hudson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hudson is located in Bates County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Metz
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Metz is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rocky Ford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rocky Ford.
Newspapers Published in Rocky Ford ...
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 129 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rocky Ford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rocky Ford, 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 Rocky Ford.
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 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 Rocky Ford:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Vernon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bates County
- Cedar County
- Henry County
- Saint Clair County
- Bourbon County
- Linn County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Missouri
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Rocky Ford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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- Rocky Ford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |