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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 Barr (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 Barr. 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 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.

Barr is located in Macoupin 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 Macoupin County: Greene, Jersey, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan & Sangamon.

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

  • Macoupin County     (The home county of Barr)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Hettick
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Scottville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Palmyra
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Hagaman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Hagaman is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagaman
    • Modesto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Chesterfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Comer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Comer is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comer
    • Challacombe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Challacombe is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Challacombe
    • Summerville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Summerville is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
    • Carlinville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nilwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Medora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Girard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Cliffdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cliffdale is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffdale
    • Kampsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Michael
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Greenfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Rockbridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wrights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Roodhouse
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Belltown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Belltown is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belltown
    • White Hall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Carrollton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kane
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Mid City ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Mid City is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid City
    • Patterson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Walkerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Walkerville is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerville
    • Wilmington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Wilmington is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
    • Woody
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Woody is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woody
  • Jersey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Fidelity
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jerseyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Delhi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Delhi is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • McClusky
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • McClusky is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClusky
    • Spankey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Spankey is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spankey
    • Dow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fieldon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Otterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Otterville is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
  • Madison County
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Farmersville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Waggoner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Shop Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
    • Honey Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • Raymond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Litchfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • White Oak
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Harvel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Murrayville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Franklin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Waverly
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pisgah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Pisgah is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • South Jacksonville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • South Jacksonville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jacksonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,075 people
    • Alexander
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Arnold
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Arnold is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
    • Jacksonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Lynnville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Lynnville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
    • Chapin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Arcadia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Morgan City ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Morgan City is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Bedford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bee Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Bee Creek is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Creek
    • Pearl
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Lowder
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Maxwell ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Thayer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Auburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Loami
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • New Berlin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Berlin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Berlin is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Divernon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Chatham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Commanche Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Commanche Village is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commanche Village
    • Glenarm
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Curran
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Curran is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Pasfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barr, with the one closest to Barr listed first.
    • Manchester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Alsey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Glasgow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Glasgow is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
    • Winchester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Exeter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Exeter is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people

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

Cemeteries Near Barr ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Barr.

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

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

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

  • Miller Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Witt Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Solomon A M Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Land Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Crawford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Stultz Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Ruyle Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Solomon G O Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Wills Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Howser Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hettick Point Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Hermitage Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (427 more) ...
    • Rubican Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Bethel Baptist Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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.<2>

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

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

  • Hettick
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Scottville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Athensville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Athensville is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athensville
  • Greenfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fayette
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fayette is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
  • Hagaman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Hagaman is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagaman
  • Palmyra
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Reader
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Reader is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reader
  • Enos
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Enos is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enos
  • Modesto
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Wrights
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Rockbridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Chesterfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Comer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Comer is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comer
    • Rohrer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rohrer is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rohrer

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

Newspapers Published in Barr ...

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 156 newspapers that have been published in the area around Barr.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Barr, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Barr.

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 Barr:

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 Barr, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Barr) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.