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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 Zenda (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 Zenda. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Zenda is located in Douglas 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 Douglas County: Christian, Howell, Ozark, Taney, Texas, Webster & Wright.

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

  • Douglas County     (The home county of Zenda)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • Ava
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ava is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ava
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,905 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ava <1>
    • Arden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Arden is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
    • Red Bank
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Red Bank is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
    • Olathia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Olathia is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olathia
    • Johns Mills ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Johns Mills is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns Mills
    • Smallett
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Smallett is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallett
    • Rome
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Rome is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
    • Squires
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Squires is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squires
    • Drury
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Drury is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drury
    • Vanzant
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Vanzant is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanzant
    • Gentryville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gentryville is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentryville
    • Buckhart
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Buckhart is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhart
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • Elkhead
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Elkhead is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhead
    • Bruner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Bruner is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
    • Velsor ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Velsor is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velsor
    • Oldfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Oldfield is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldfield
    • Chadwick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Chadwick is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwick
    • Garrison
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Garrison is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrison
    • Sparta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Sparta is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,076 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
    • Pembina
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Pembina is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pembina
    • Linden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Linden is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
    • Ozark
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Ozark is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ozark
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,052 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ozark <1>
    • Cassidy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Cassidy is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassidy
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • Turners
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Turners is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turners
    • Strafford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mumford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Mumford is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mumford
  • Ozark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • Wasola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Wasola is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasola
    • Foil
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Foil is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foil
    • Noble
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Noble is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
    • Summit City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Summit City is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit City
    • Almartha
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Almartha is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almartha
    • Thornfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Thornfield is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornfield
    • Rockbridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Romance
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Romance is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Brixey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Brixey is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brixey
    • Longrun
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Longrun is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longrun
    • Trail
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Trail is located in Ozark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trail
    • Isabella
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Taney County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • McClurg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • McClurg is located in Taney County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClurg
    • Bradleyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bradleyville is located in Taney County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradleyville
    • Taneyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Taneyville is located in Taney County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taneyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
    • Rueter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Rueter is located in Taney County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rueter
    • Kissee Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Texas County
    • Dunn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Dunn is located in Texas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
      • Former name for Dunn:
      • Impo
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • Seymour
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sarvis Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sarvis Point is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarvis Point
    • Olga
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Olga is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olga
    • Diggins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Diggins is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diggins
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 326 people
    • Fordland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rogersville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Crown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Crown is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown
    • Northview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Northview is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northview
    • Marshfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Niangua
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Niangua is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niangua
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 424 people
    • Rader
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Rader is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rader
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Zenda, with the one closest to Zenda listed first.
    • Mansfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Macomb
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Macomb is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
    • Norwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Odin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Odin is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
    • Hartville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Mountain Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Grovespring
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Saint George
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Saint George is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
    • Green Mountain
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Green Mountain is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mountain
    • Graff
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Graff is located in Wright County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graff

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

Cemeteries Near Zenda ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Zenda.

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

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

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

  • Denney Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Bragg Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Burdett Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Huffman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Daily Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Ritter Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Ava Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Wallace Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Ellison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Arno Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Tower Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (287 more) ...
    • Dyer Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Baker Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakey Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<2>

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

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

  • Ava
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ava is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ava
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,905 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ava <1>
  • Bryant
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Bryant is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
  • Arden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Arden is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
  • Arno
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Arno is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arno
  • Cedar Gap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Gap is located in Wright County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Gap
  • Dogwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Dogwood is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
  • Red Bank
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Red Bank is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
  • Larissa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Larissa is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larissa
  • Mansfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Seymour
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Roy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Roy is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roy
  • Sarvis Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Sarvis Point is located in Webster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarvis Point
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Johns Mills ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Johns Mills is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns Mills
    • Smallett
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Smallett is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallett
    • Rome
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Rome is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome

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

Newspapers Published in Zenda ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Zenda.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Zenda, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Zenda.

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 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 Zenda:

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 Zenda, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Zenda) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.