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 Sparta (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 Sparta. 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.
Sparta is located in Christian 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 Christian County: Douglas, Greene, Lawrence, Stone, Taney & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Sparta. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sparta:
- Christian County (The home county of Sparta)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Velsor ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Velsor is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velsor
- Oldfield
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oldfield is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
- Linden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Linden is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
- Chadwick
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Chadwick is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwick
- Bruner
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Bruner is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
- Pembina
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pembina is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pembina
- Ozark
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Elkhead
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elkhead is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
- Cassidy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cassidy is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassidy
- Fremont Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fremont Hills is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 936 people
- Garrison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Garrison is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
- Green Mound Ridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Mound Ridge is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mound Ridge
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Johns Mills ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Johns Mills is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns Mills
- Arden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Arden is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
- Red Bank
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Red Bank is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Rome
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rome is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Smallett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Smallett is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallett
- Ava
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Squires
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Squires is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squires
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Turners
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Turners is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turners
- Sequiota
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sequiota is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sequiota
- Mumford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mumford is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mumford
- Langston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Langston is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
- Battlefield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Battlefield is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battlefield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,665 people
- Strafford
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Springfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Brookline
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brookline is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline
- Brookline Station
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Brookline Station is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline Station
- Fair Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Willard
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bois D'Arc
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lawrence County
- Marionville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Ozark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Foil
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Foil is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foil
- Thornfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Thornfield is located in Ozark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornfield
- Stone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Ponce de Leon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ponce de Leon is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponce de Leon
- White City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- White City is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Union City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Union City is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Oto
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Oto is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oto
- Hurley
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Reeds Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Galena
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Branson West
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Branson West is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branson West
- Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
- Lakeview
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeview is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
- Silver Dollar City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Dollar City is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Dollar City
- Bradfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Bradfield is located in Stone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradfield
- Crane
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Taney County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Day
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Day is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day
- Bradleyville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bradleyville is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradleyville
- Taneyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Taneyville is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taneyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
- Walnut Shade
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Walnut Shade is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Shade
- Bull Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bull Creek is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
- Merriam Woods
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Merriam Woods is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merriam Woods
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,859 people
- Forsyth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Kissee Mills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Rockaway Beach
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- McClurg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- McClurg is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClurg
- Powersite
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Powersite is located in Taney County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powersite
- Kirbyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Rogersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Olga
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Olga is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olga
- Fordland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sarvis Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sarvis Point is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarvis Point
- Diggins
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Diggins is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diggins
- Population from the 2020 Census: 326 people
- Crown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Crown is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
- Northview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Northview is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northview
- Seymour
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Marshfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Conklin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Conklin is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conklin
- Elkland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Elkland is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkland
- Niangua
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Niangua is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niangua
- Population from the 2020 Census: 424 people
- Wright County
- Mansfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sparta, see our County-by-County Page for Sparta.
Cemeteries Near Sparta ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sparta.
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 Sparta - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sparta covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Farmer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Sparta Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Shipman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Gardner Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Roberts Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Fairview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Monger Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Friend Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Martin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Casebolt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Roller Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Braden Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (313 more) ...
- Spilliens Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Tallman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mathews Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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 Sparta had a population of 500 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sparta had a population of 2,076 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Velsor ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Velsor is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velsor
- Chadwick
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Chadwick is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwick
- Pembina
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pembina is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pembina
- Ozark
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Elkhead
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Elkhead is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
- Rogersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Palace ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Palace is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palace
- Henderson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Henderson is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
- Palmetto
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Palmetto is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
- Johns Mills ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Johns Mills is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns Mills
- Cassidy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cassidy is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassidy
- Highlandville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Garrison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Garrison is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
- Olga
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Olga is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olga
- Nixa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Nixa is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,330 people
- Former name for Nixa:
- Faught
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nixa <1>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sparta. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sparta.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sparta ...
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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sparta.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sparta. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sparta and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sparta.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3> of Sparta.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Sparta:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Christian County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Douglas County
- Greene County
- Lawrence County
- Ozark County
- Stone County
- Taney County
- Webster County
- Wright 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 Sparta, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Sparta) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |