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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 Wisdom (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 Wisdom. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Wisdom is located in Benton 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 Benton County: Camden, Henry, Hickory, Morgan, Pettis & Saint Clair.

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

  • Benton County     (The home county of Wisdom)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisdom, with the one closest to Wisdom listed first.
    • Tackner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Tackner is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tackner
    • Warsaw
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Racket
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Racket is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racket
    • Palo Pinto
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Palo Pinto is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Pinto
    • Edwards
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Edmonson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Edmonson is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonson
    • Lincoln
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Zora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Zora is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
    • Ionia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Ionia is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ionia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
    • Cole Camp
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Mora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Mora is located in Benton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
  • Camden County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisdom, with the one closest to Wisdom listed first.
    • Climax Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Barnumton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Barnumton is located in Camden County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnumton
    • Macks Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar County
    • Lebeck
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lebeck is located in Cedar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebeck
  • Dallas County
    • Urbana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisdom, with the one closest to Wisdom listed first.
    • Tightwad
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Tightwad is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tightwad
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 61 people
    • Brownington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Brownington is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
    • Alberta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Alberta is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberta
    • Deepwater
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Yolo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Yolo is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yolo
    • Clinton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Calhoun
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Calhoun is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
    • La Due
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • La Due is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Due
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 28 people
    • Windsor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Bowen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bowen is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
    • Montrose
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Hartwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartwell is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwell
  • Hickory County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisdom, with the one closest to Wisdom listed first.
    • Avery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Avery is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
    • Quincy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Quincy is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Wheatland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Cross Timbers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cross Timbers is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Timbers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
    • Hermitage
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Galmey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Galmey is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galmey
    • Weaubleau
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Elkton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Elkton is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
    • Preston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Nemo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Nemo is located in Hickory County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemo
    • Pittsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisdom, with the one closest to Wisdom listed first.
    • Flemington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Flemington is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
    • Humansville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Rondo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Rondo is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rondo
    • Sentinel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Sentinel is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sentinel
      • Former name for Sentinel:
      • Sentinel Prairie
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wisdom, with the one closest to Wisdom listed first.
    • Lowry City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Osceola
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Gerster
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Gerster is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
    • Vista
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Vista is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vista
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
    • Collins
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Monegaw Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Monegaw Springs is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monegaw Springs
    • Roscoe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Roscoe is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <1>
    • Cobb
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Cobb is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb
    • Johnson City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Johnson City is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson City
    • Appleton City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Wisdom ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wisdom.

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

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

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

  • Wisdom Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Akens Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Peal Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Harris Bend Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Iconium Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cobb Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Crabtree Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Vance Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Ballet Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (254 more) ...
    • Gilbert Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bird Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Cooper Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<3>

While we didn't find Wisdom in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wisdom.

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

  • Bentonville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Bentonville is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentonville
  • Fairfield ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fairfield is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
  • Iconium
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Iconium is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iconium
  • Tackner
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Tackner is located in Benton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tackner
  • Finey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Finey is located in Henry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finey
  • Baker ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Baker is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
  • Harper
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Harper is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
  • Warsaw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Avery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Avery is located in Hickory County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
  • Mount Zion
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Mount Zion is located in Henry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
  • Quincy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Quincy is located in Hickory County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
  • Terry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Terry is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Leesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Leesville is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
    • Lowry City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Osceola
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Wisdom ...

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 Wisdom.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wisdom, 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 Wisdom.

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 Wisdom:

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 Wisdom, 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- Wisdom) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.