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 Blue Point (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 Blue Point. 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 Blue Point ...
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 Blue Point: Blue Pt.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Blue Point. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Blue Point.
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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Blue Point is located in Effingham 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 Effingham County: Clay, Cumberland, Fayette, Jasper & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near Blue Point. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blue Point:
- Effingham County (The home county of Blue Point)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Moccasin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Moccasin is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
- Dexter
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dexter is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
- Altamont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Funkhouser
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
- Shumway
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Beecher City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Beecher City is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
- Effingham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gilmore
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Gilmore is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Heartville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Heartville is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartville
- Watson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Green Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Green Creek is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Creek
- Teutopolis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Mason
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Christian County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Pana
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rosamond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Iola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Louisville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ingraham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sailor Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Trilla
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Magnet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Magnet is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Lerna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mattoon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Neoga
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jewett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Toledo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Walla Walla
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Walla Walla is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walla Walla
- Bradbury
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bradbury is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradbury
- Johnstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Johnstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Greenup
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Janesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Holliday
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Holliday is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliday
- Howards Point ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Howards Point is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
- Saint Elmo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Avena
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Avena is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
- Brownstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- La Clede
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- La Clede is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Clede
- Loogootee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Peter
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dressor
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Dressor is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
- Farina
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bluff City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bluff City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Ramsey
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Saint Paul
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Paul is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Wheeler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Lis is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lis
- Bogota
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bogota is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogota
- Falmouth
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Falmouth is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Hidalgo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Newton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Rose Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Rose Hill is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Kinmundy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Omega
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Omega is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Alma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Vernon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Montgomery County
- Fillmore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Moultrie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Gays
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coles
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Coles is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Fancher
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Fancher is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
- Mode
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mode is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode
- Stewardson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cowden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sigel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Strasburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Trowbridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Trowbridge is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trowbridge
- Herrick
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lakewood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lakewood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Middlesworth
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth
- Shelbyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Sexson Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sexson Corner is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sexson Corner
- Tower Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blue Point, see our County-by-County Page for Blue Point.
Cemeteries Near Blue Point ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blue Point.
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 Blue Point - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blue Point covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- German Methodist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- St. Clare Catholic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- McCoy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fremington Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Point Baptist Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Moccasin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Funkhouser Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Arborcrest Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (470 more) ...
- Brown Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Blue Point had a population of 24 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blue Point, with the one closest to Blue Point listed first.
- Dexter
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dexter is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
- Moccasin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Moccasin is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
- Altamont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Funkhouser
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
- Shumway
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Beecher City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Beecher City is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
- Effingham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gilmore
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Gilmore is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Holliday
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Holliday is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliday
- Saint Elmo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fancher
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Fancher is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
- Watson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (20 more) ...
- Stewardson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mode
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mode is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode
- Mason
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blue Point. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blue Point.
Newspapers Published in Blue Point ...
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 132 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blue Point.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blue Point, 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 Blue Point.
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 Blue Point:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Effingham County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Christian County
- Clay County
- Coles County
- Cumberland County
- Fayette County
- Jasper County
- Marion County
- Montgomery County
- Moultrie County
- Shelby 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 Blue Point, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Blue Point) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |