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 Akin (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 Akin. 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.
Akin is located in Franklin County.
To see how the shape of Illinois' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Franklin County: Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, Saline & Williamson.
Below are the counties that are near Akin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Akin:
- Franklin County (The home county of Akin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Thompsonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Parrish
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parrish is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Hanaford
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hanaford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanaford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Smothersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Smothersville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smothersville
- Steel City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Steel City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel City
- Frisco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Frisco is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
- Taylor Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Taylor Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Hill
- Fitt's Hill ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fitt's Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitt's Hill
- Ewing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Deering City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Deering City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deering City
- Benton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Whittington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- West City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- West City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
- Gallatin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Omaha
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Elba
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elba is located in Gallatin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Equality
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lawler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lawler is located in Gallatin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawler
- Hamilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Macedonia
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Flint
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Flint is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
- Walpole
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Walpole is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walpole
- Lovilla
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Lovilla is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilla
- Diamond City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Diamond City is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
- Dale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- McLeansboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dahlgren
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Broughton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Piopolis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Piopolis is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piopolis
- Belle Prairie City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Belle Prairie City is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Jefferson City ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jefferson City is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
- Bungay
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bungay is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bungay
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Dowell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Elkville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hallidayboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hallidayboro is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallidayboro
- De Soto
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Ina
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ina is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,279 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ina <1>
- Belle Rive
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bonnie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fitzgerrell ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fitzgerrell is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitzgerrell
- Nason
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Opdyke
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Dareville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dareville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dareville
- Emerson City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Emerson City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson City
- Marcoe
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Marcoe is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcoe
- Waltonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bluford
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Markham City
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Markham City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham City
- Marlow
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Marlow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Egyptian Hills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Egyptian Hills is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egyptian Hills
- New Burnside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Eagle Point Bay
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Eagle Point Bay is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point Bay
- Deer Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Deer Ridge is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Ridge
- Ozark
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Du Quoin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Du Quoin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Quoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,591 people
- Saint Johns
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Saint Johns is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Sunfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Sunfield is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunfield
- Tamaroa
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Pope County
- McCormick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- McCormick is located in Pope County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCormick
- Saline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Cornerville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cornerville is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerville
- Long Branch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Long Branch is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
- Galatia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Raleigh
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Wasson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wasson is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasson
- Texas City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Texas City is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas City
- Eldorado
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Harrisburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Muddy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saline City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saline City is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline City
- Carrier Mills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Carrier Mills is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrier Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,527 people
- Former names for Carrier Mills:
- Carriers Mills
- Morrilsville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carrier Mills <1>
- Washington County
- Du Bois
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Du Bois is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Bois
- Population from the 2020 Census: 189 people
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Keenes
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Wayne City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sims
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Barnhill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Boyleston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Boyleston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Norris City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Enfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Stokes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Stokes is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Springerton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Roland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Roland is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
- Mill Shoals
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Herald
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Corinth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Corinth is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
- Hartford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hartford is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Pittsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Johnston City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stiritz
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stiritz is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiritz
- Freeman Spur
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Freeman Spur is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Spur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
- Freeman Spur has also been known as:
- Freeman Spur village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeman Spur <1>
- Whiteash
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whiteash is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteash
- Estimated population in 2014: 240 people
- Herrin Junction ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Herrin Junction is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrin Junction
- Spillertown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Spillertown is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spillertown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Herrin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Marion
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Energy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Colp
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Colp is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colp
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Former name for Colp:
- Colpville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colp <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Akin, see our County-by-County Page for Akin.
Cemeteries Near Akin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Akin.
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 Akin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Akin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Brady Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cook Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lampley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Otterson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Manion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Swofford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jones Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Baxter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Liberty - Ridlin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Melvin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Downs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (473 more) ...
- Clem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Miller Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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 Akin had a population of 158 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Akin, with the one closest to Akin listed first.
- Parrish
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parrish is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Thompsonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Smothersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Smothersville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smothersville
- Rural Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Rural Hill is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural Hill
- Macedonia
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- West End
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- West End is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West End
- Braden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Braden is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braden
- Fitt's Hill ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fitt's Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitt's Hill
- Taylor Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Taylor Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Hill
- Locust Grove ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Locust Grove is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Grove
- Flint
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Flint is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
- Olga
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Olga is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olga
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Ewing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Benton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Frankfort
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Frankfort is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Akin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Akin.
Newspapers Published in Akin ...
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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Akin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Akin, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Akin.
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 helpful 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 Akin:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Gallatin County
- Hamilton County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Johnson County
- Perry County
- Pope County
- Saline County
- Washington County
- Wayne County
- White County
- Williamson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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 Akin, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Akin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |