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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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 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.
Bethel is located in Vermilion 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 Vermilion County: Champaign, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Benton (IN), Vermillion (IN) & Warren (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Bethel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethel:
- Vermilion County (The home county of Bethel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Ridge Farm
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Olivet
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Olivet is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Vermilion Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Vermilion Grove is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilion Grove
- Meeks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Meeks is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeks
- Georgetown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Busenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Busenville is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busenville
- Indianola
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Westville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Belgium
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Belgium is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgium
- Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
- Tilton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Catlin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sidell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Archie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Archie is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archie
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Homer
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Broadlands
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Ogden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Longview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rutherford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Rutherford is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Saint Joseph
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sidney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Royal
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Farrington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Farrington is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrington
- Dennison
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dennison is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennison
- Coles County
- Oakland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Newman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Fairland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Fairland is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Murdock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Edgar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Raven
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Raven is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Scottland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Scottland is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottland
- Chrisman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kidley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Kidley is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kidley
- Logan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bloomfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomfield is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Clays Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Clays Prairie is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clays Prairie
- Metcalf
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Huffmanville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Huffmanville is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffmanville
- Palermo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Palermo is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
- Hume
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Kentucky
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Kentucky is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky
- Paris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Clay County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Perth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Perth is located in Clay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perth
- Lena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lena is located in Clay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
- Fountain County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Kingman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Harveysburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Harveysburg is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveysburg
- Covington
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Layton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Layton is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
- Wallace
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wallace is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
- Veedersburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Stone Bluff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stone Bluff is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone Bluff
- Hillsboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mellott
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mellott is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Newtown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Newtown is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
- Montgomery County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Alamo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Alamo is located in Montgomery County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- Waveland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Waynetown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wesley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wesley is located in Montgomery County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Parke County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- West Union
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- West Union is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Montezuma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Armiesburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Armiesburg is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armiesburg
- Annapolis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Annapolis is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annapolis
- Bloomingdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mecca
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mecca is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
- Rockville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Grange Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Grange Corner is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange Corner
- Marshall
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Marshall is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Billie Creek Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Billie Creek Village is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billie Creek Village
- Numa
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Numa is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Numa
- Nyesville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Nyesville is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nyesville
- West Atherton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- West Atherton is located in Parke County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Atherton
- Putnam County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Portland Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Portland Mills is located in Putnam County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland Mills
- Russellville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Russellville is located in Putnam County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Vermillion County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Cayuga
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Cayuga is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,095 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cayuga <1>
- Eugene
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Eugene is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eugene
- Dana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dana is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
- Newport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Alta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alta is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Hillsdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsdale is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Perrysville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gessie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Gessie is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gessie
- Saint Bernice
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Saint Bernice is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Bernice
- Rileysburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rileysburg is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rileysburg
- Tree Spring
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tree Spring is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tree Spring
- Summit Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Summit Grove is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Grove
- Blanford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Blanford is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanford
- Vigo County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Libertyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Libertyville is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Shepardsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Shepardsville is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepardsville
- New Goshen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Pine Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Pine Ridge is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Sandcut
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sandcut is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandcut
- Harrison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Harrison is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Spelterville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Spelterville is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spelterville
- Barnhart Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Barnhart Town is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhart Town
- North Terre Haute
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- North Terre Haute is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Terre Haute
- Terre Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Terre Town is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Town
- Burnett
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Burnett is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
- Fontanet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fontanet is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontanet
- Warren County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Foster
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Foster is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
- Baltimore ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Baltimore is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
- State Line City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- State Line City is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- State Line
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- State Line is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Old Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Old Town is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
- West Lebanon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- West Lebanon is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lebanon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 686 people
- Hedrick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hedrick is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
- Sloan ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sloan is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
- Williamsport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethel, see our County-by-County Page for Bethel.
Cemeteries Near Bethel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.
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 Bethel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Colliers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colliers Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Colliers Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the east of Ridge Farm.
- The Colliers Cemetery has also been known as:
- Humrick Cemetery
- Old Hopewell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Whitlock Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitlock Cemetery
- The Whitlock Cemetery has also been known as:
- Liberty Cemetery
- Mose Reid Cemetery
- Pilot Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Yankee Point Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Patrick Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Miller Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Juliet Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Newport Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (407 more) ...
- Eugene Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Elwood Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood Church Cemetery
- The Elwood Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Elwood Friends Cemetery
- Brown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Bethel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Humrick
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Humrick is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humrick
- Cayuga
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Cayuga is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,095 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cayuga <1>
- Ridge Farm
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Woodyard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Woodyard is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Raven
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Raven is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Illiana ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Illiana is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illiana
- Dana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dana is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
- Eugene
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Eugene is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eugene
- Vermilion Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Vermilion Grove is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilion Grove
- Scottland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Scottland is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottland
- Newport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Georgetown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Toronto
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Toronto is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toronto
- Silverwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Silverwood is located in Fountain County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverwood
- Mortimer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mortimer is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethel.
Newspapers Published in Bethel ...
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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.
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 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 Bethel:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Vermilion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Champaign County
- Clark County
- Coles County
- Douglas County
- Edgar County
- Clay County
- Fountain County
- Montgomery County
- Parke County
- Putnam County
- Vermillion County
- Vigo County
- Warren 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bethel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |