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 Belle Prairie City (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 Belle Prairie City. 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 Belle Prairie City ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Belle Prairie City: Belle Pr. City
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.
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.
Belle Prairie City is located in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County: Franklin, Gallatin, Jefferson, Saline, Wayne, White & Williamson.
Below are the counties that are near Belle Prairie City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Belle Prairie City:
- Hamilton County (The home county of Belle Prairie City)
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Piopolis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Piopolis is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piopolis
- Jefferson City ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jefferson City is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
- Lovilla
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lovilla is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilla
- Dahlgren
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bungay
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bungay is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bungay
- Diamond City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Diamond City is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
- McLeansboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Flint
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Flint is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
- Macedonia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Walpole
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Walpole is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walpole
- Broughton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Xenia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Kenner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kenner is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
- Edwards County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Ellery
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Albion
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Red Top
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Red Top is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
- Bennington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bennington is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Frisco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Frisco is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
- Taylor Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Taylor Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Hill
- Ewing
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Akin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Whittington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hanaford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hanaford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanaford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Parrish
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Parrish is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
- Steel City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Steel City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel City
- Thompsonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Benton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Smothersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Smothersville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smothersville
- Rend City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rend City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rend City
- West City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- 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 Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Omaha
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elba
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Elba is located in Gallatin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Belle Rive
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Markham City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Markham City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham City
- Bluford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Opdyke
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Marlow
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marlow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
- Pigeon ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pigeon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Shields
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Shields is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
- Summersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Summersville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summersville
- Bonnie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Ina
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- 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>
- Mount Vernon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Idlewood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Idlewood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewood
- Dareville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Dareville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dareville
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Hickory Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory Hill is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
- Union Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Union Town is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Town
- Kell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cartter
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cartter is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartter
- Iuka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Cornerville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cornerville is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerville
- Long Branch
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Long Branch is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
- Texas City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Texas City is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texas City
- Galatia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Raleigh
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Saline City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Saline City is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline City
- Eldorado
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wasson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wasson is located in Saline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasson
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Wayne City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sims
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Keenes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Barnhill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Boyleston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Boyleston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
- Fairfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Geff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jeffersonville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jeffersonville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 350 people
- Johnsonville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Cisne
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Golden Gate
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Enterprise
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Enterprise is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Rinard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Mill Shoals
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Springerton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Enfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Burnt Prairie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Norris City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Stokes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Stokes is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Carmi
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Roland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Roland is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roland
- Crossville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Herald
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Calvin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Calvin is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Phillipstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Phillipstown is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Emma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Hartford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hartford is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Corinth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Corinth is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Belle Prairie City, see our County-by-County Page for Belle Prairie City.
Cemeteries Near Belle Prairie City ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belle Prairie City.
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 Belle Prairie City - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Belle Prairie City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Crouch Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Rawls Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Garrison Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Trotter Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Baltimore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Crisel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Atchison Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- IOOF Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fitzsimons Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (462 more) ...
- Preston Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<3>
While we didn't find Belle Prairie City in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Belle Prairie City.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Belle Prairie City, with the one closest to Belle Prairie City listed first.
- Piopolis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Piopolis is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piopolis
- Mayberry
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mayberry is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayberry
- Delafield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Delafield is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delafield
- Dahlgren
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Wayne City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- McLeansboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Thackeray
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Thackeray is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thackeray
- Keenes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sims
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Logansport ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Logansport is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logansport
- Belle Rive
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Flint
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Flint is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Springerton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Mill Shoals
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Boyleston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Boyleston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Belle Prairie City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Belle Prairie City.
Newspapers Published in Belle Prairie City ...
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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belle Prairie City.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belle Prairie City, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belle Prairie City.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Belle Prairie City:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Hamilton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Edwards County
- Franklin County
- Gallatin County
- Jefferson County
- Marion County
- Saline 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 Belle Prairie City, 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- Belle Prairie City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |