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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 Bath (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 Bath. 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.

Name Variations for Bath ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

In past government published Postal Guides, Bath was referred to as Bath Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bath. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bath.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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.

Bath is located in Mason 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 Mason County: Cass, Fulton, Logan, Menard, Schuyler & Tazewell.

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

  • Mason County     (The home county of Bath)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Long Branch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • White City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • White City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Snicarte
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Snicarte is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
    • Kilbourne
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Havana
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Poplar City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Buzzville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Topeka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Easton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Goofy Ridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Teheran
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
    • Forest City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Ripley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ripley is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Cooperstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cooperstown is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Chandlerville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Newmansville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Jules
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jules is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
    • Virginia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bluff Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Burlingame
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Burlingame is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Philadelphia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Oak Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Beardstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Gurney ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Gurney is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
    • Old Princeton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Old Princeton is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Princeton
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Marbletown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
    • Summum
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Summum is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
    • Sepo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Astoria
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Lewistown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Ipava
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Liverpool
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Vermont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Table Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cuba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Dunfermline
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Middletown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • New Holland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Adair
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • New Philadelphia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Industry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Doddsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Doddsville is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
    • Bardolph
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Oakford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Petersburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Tallula
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Athens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Croft
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Literberry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Prentice
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Arcadia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Concord
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Pleasant Plains
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Salisbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Salisbury is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Cantrall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Bluff City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Bader
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Bader is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
    • Browning
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Frederick
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rushville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Littleton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Wayland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Wayland is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bath, with the one closest to Bath listed first.
    • Radville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville
    • Parkland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Parkland is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
    • Winkel ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Winkel is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkel
    • Talbott
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Talbott is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbott
    • Green Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Bath ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bath.

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

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

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

  • Bath Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hickory Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Kearney Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Roat Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Snicarte Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Speckman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Hancock - Pioneer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (398 more) ...
    • Price Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Pratt Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Kilbourne Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bath had a population of 384 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bath had a population of 306 people.

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

  • Matanzas
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Matanzas is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matanzas
  • Marbletown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
  • Bluff City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
  • Saidora
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Saidora is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saidora
  • Snicarte
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Snicarte is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
  • Conover
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Conover is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conover
  • Kelsey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kelsey is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
  • Kilbourne
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Sheldons Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Sheldons Grove is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldons Grove
  • Havana
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Summum
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Summum is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
  • Chandlerville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Sepo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Leesburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Leesburg is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
    • Oakford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Bath ...

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 119 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bath.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bath, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bath.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Bath:

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 Bath, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bath) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.