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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 Avena (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 Avena. 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 and doctors 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.

Avena is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Bond, Clay, Clinton, Effingham, Marion, Montgomery & Shelby.

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Avena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Brownstown
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Howards Point is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
    • Saint Elmo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Bluff City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bluff City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Loogootee
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Vandalia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Saint Paul
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Saint Paul is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
    • Saint Peter
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Shobonier
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dressor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
    • Ramsey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hagarstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Mulberry Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Pleasant Mound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Pleasant Mound is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Mound
    • Smithboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Greenville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Pana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Pana is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pana <1>
    • Rosamond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Iola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Louisville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Xenia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Boulder
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Boulder is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder
    • Keyesport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Altamont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Gilmore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
    • Moccasin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
    • Dexter
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Dexter is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
    • Beecher City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Beecher City is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
    • Edgewood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Mason
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Mason is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <1>
    • Funkhouser
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
    • Watson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Shumway
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Heartville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Heartville is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartville
    • Effingham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Kinmundy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Vernon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Alma
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Patoka
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Omega
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Omega is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
    • Fairman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Fairman is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairman
    • Salem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bannister
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Bannister is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannister
    • Iuka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Odin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Odin is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,004 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odin <1>
    • Sandoval
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Fillmore
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Chapman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
    • Coffeen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Coalton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Nokomis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Irving
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ohlman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wenonah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Witt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Witt is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Witt <1>
    • Donnellson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Schram City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Schram City is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Avena, with the one closest to Avena listed first.
    • Herrick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Cowden
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Fancher
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Fancher is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
    • Mode
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mode is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode
    • Lakewood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Oconee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Stewardson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Tower Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Sigel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Shelbyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Strasburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Middlesworth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth

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

Cemeteries Near Avena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Avena.

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

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Padon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Griffith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pilcher Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Winslow Pilcher Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Sidener Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Maplewood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Guy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • New Liberty Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Stein Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (445 more) ...
    • Yolton Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Mitchell Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • German Reformed Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)

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 Avena had a population of 91 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Brownstown
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Saint Elmo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Saint James
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint James is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint James
  • Wilberton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Wilberton is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilberton
  • Loogootee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Vandalia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Saint Paul
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Saint Paul is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
  • Altamont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Vera
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Vera is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera
  • Gilmore
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
  • Shobonier
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hagarstown
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dressor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
    • Moccasin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
    • Ramsey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Avena ...

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 194 newspapers that have been published in the area around Avena.

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

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 Avena:

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 Avena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Avena) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.