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 Williamstown (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 Williamstown. 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 Williamstown ...
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.
Another variation: Williams Town.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Williamstown. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Williamstown.
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 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 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.
Williamstown is located in Lewis 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 Lewis County: Adams (IL), Hancock (IL), Clark, Knox, Marion & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near Williamstown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williamstown:
- Lewis County (The home county of Williamstown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- New Court Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- New Court Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Court Village
- Monticello
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Monticello is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Lewistown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- La Belle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sellers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sellers is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Argola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Argola is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argola
- Ewing
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gilead
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gilead is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- Canton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Weber
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Weber is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
- Durham
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- La Grange
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Clark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Neeper
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Neeper is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neeper
- Saint Patrick
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Saint Patrick is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Patrick
- Wyaconda
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wyaconda is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyaconda
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Kahoka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Medill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Medill is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medill
- Clark City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Clark City is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark City
- Luray
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Luray is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luray
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Wayland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wayland is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Revere
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Chambersburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Chambersburg is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersburg
- Peaksville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Peaksville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Alexandria
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Forest Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Springs is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Springs
- Colony
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Colony is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Jeddo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jeddo is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Knox City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rutledge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Newark
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Edina
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Baring
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Greensburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Greensburg is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greensburg
- Hedge City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hedge City is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedge City
- Plevna
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Plevna is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plevna
- Kenwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Kenwood is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Nelsonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Nelsonville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Taylor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Philadelphia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Philadelphia is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Scotland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Gorin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gorin is located in Scotland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorin
- South Gorin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- South Gorin is located in Scotland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gorin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
- Granger
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Granger is located in Scotland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Arbela
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Retreat
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Retreat is located in Scotland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Retreat
- Memphis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Unity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Unity is located in Scotland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Bethel
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Emden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Emden is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emden
- Lee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Buena Vista ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buena Vista is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Vincennes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Vincennes is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincennes
- Argyle
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Croton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Croton is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
- Keokuk
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- New Boston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Boston is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
- Sandusky
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sandusky is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- Charleston
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Charleston is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Galland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Galland is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Montrose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Donnellson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Van Buren County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Farmington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Sterling
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Adams County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Meyer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Meyer is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyer
- Lima
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Marcelline
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Marcelline is located in Adams County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcelline
- Ursa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mendon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Quincy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Loraine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hancock County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Warsaw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Sutter
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sutter is located in Hancock County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutter
- Hamilton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Elvaston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Nauvoo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Williamstown, see our County-by-County Page for Williamstown.
Cemeteries Near Williamstown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamstown.
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 Williamstown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williamstown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Williamstown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Cecil Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Carlin Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Morris Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Midway Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Zion Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Hill Cemetery
- The Zion Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Zion Hill Church Cemetery
- Zion's Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #215822 <2>
- Bailey Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bondurant Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Old German Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Schuster Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Jarvis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Graves Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (273 more) ...
- Henton Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cowgill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mitts Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Williamstown had a population of 149 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williamstown, with the one closest to Williamstown listed first.
- Deer Ridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Deer Ridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Ridge
- Bunker Hill ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bunker Hill is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- Neeper
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Neeper is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neeper
- Derrahs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Derrahs is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derrahs
- Antioch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Antioch is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Fairmont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Fairmont is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
- Forest Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Springs is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Springs
- Monticello
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Monticello is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Saint Patrick
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Saint Patrick is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Patrick
- La Belle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lewistown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Benjamin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Benjamin is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benjamin
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Colony
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Colony is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony
- Winchester
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Winchester is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Wyaconda
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wyaconda is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyaconda
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Williamstown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williamstown.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Williamstown ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamstown.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Williamstown. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Williamstown and those printed in the larger area surrounding Williamstown.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Williamstown.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Williamstown:
- Websites specific to Missouri
- Pages specific to Lewis County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clark County
- Knox County
- Marion County
- Scotland County
- Shelby County
- Lee County
- Van Buren County
- Adams County
- Hancock 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 Williamstown, 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- Williamstown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |