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 Sweet Springs (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 Sweet Springs. 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 Sweet Springs ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
Another variation: Sweetsprings.
- A typical abbreviation for Sweet Springs: Sweet Spgs. (or less commonly used: Sweet Spngs. or Sweet Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Sweet Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sweet Springs.
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 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.
Sweet Springs is located in Saline 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 Saline County: Carroll, Chariton, Cooper, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette & Pettis.
Below are the counties that are near Sweet Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sweet Springs:
- Saline County (The home county of Sweet Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Cretcher
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cretcher is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cretcher
- Herndon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Herndon is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
- Blackburn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Salt Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Salt Springs is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Springs
- Blue Lick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Blue Lick is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Lick
- Marshall Junction
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Marshall Junction is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall Junction
- Mount Leonard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Mount Leonard is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Leonard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
- Marshall
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Grand Pass
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Grand Pass is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Pass
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- Malta Bend
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Blosser ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Blosser is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blosser
- Little Osage Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Little Osage Village is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Osage Village
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Miles Point
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Miles Point is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miles Point
- Wakenda
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Wakenda is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakenda
- Palemon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Palemon is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palemon
- Carrollton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Norborne
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Norborne is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norborne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
- De Witt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- De Witt is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Cooper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Blackwater
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Clifton City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton City is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton City
- Harriston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Harriston is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harriston
- Pilot Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lamine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lamine is located in Cooper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamine
- Otterville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Bowen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bowen is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Windsor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Howard County
- Lisbon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lisbon is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Dunksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dunksburg is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunksburg
- Valley City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Valley City is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley City
- Knob Noster
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Warrensburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Greendoor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Greendoor is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendoor
- Columbus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Columbus is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Centerview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Henrietta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Henrietta is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Cornelia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cornelia is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornelia
- Leeton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leeton is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 557 people
- Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Emma
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Concordia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Alma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Alma is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 385 people
- Aullville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Aullville is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aullville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
- Corder
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Waverly
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Waverly is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 846 people
- Higginsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Page City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Page City is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page City
- Dover
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dover is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
- Hodge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hodge is located in Lafayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodge
- Mayview
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lexington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pettis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Houstonia
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Houstonia is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Tedieville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Tedieville is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedieville
- Hughesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hughesville is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
- Longwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Longwood is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
- La Monte
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Georgetown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Georgetown is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Sedalia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Green Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Green Ridge is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
- Smithton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Smithton is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 570 people
- Spring Fork
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Spring Fork is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Fork
- Ray County
- Hardin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hardin is located in Ray County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sweet Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Sweet Springs.
Cemeteries Near Sweet Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sweet Springs.
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 Sweet Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sweet Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Fairview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Cemetery
- The Fairview Cemetery has also been known as:
- Sweet Springs City Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #28670 <2>
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- South Fork Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Gross Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Rose Valley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Allen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Houstonia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Antioch Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Providence Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Payne Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hazel Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Grove Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hazel Grove Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Herndon.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2133090 <2>
- Continue List (162 more) ...
- Goshen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Evangelical 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sweet Springs had a population of 1,137 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sweet Springs had a population of 1,415 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sweet Springs, with the one closest to Sweet Springs listed first.
- Emma
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Houstonia
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Houstonia is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
- Dunksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dunksburg is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunksburg
- Cretcher
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cretcher is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cretcher
- Elmwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Elmwood is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
- Tedieville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Tedieville is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedieville
- Herndon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Herndon is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herndon
- Concordia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Stokley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Stokley is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokley
- Hughesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hughesville is located in Pettis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
- Blackburn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Salt Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Salt Springs is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Springs
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Marshall Junction
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Marshall Junction is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall Junction
- Blue Lick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Blue Lick is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Lick
- Mount Leonard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Mount Leonard is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Leonard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sweet Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sweet Springs.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sweet Springs ...
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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sweet Springs.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sweet Springs. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sweet Springs and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sweet Springs.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Sweet Springs.
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 Sweet Springs:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Saline County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Cooper County
- Henry County
- Howard County
- Johnson County
- Lafayette County
- Pettis County
- Ray 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> | 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 Sweet Springs, 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' (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- Sweet Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |