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 Boyd (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 Boyd. 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 hospitals 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.
Boyd is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Franklin, Hamilton, Marion, Perry, Washington & Wayne.
Below are the counties that are near Boyd. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Boyd:
- Jefferson County (The home county of Boyd)
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Jefferson City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson City is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
- Dix
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Woodlawn
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Idlewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Idlewood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewood
- Texico
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Roaches
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Roaches is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaches
- Mount Vernon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Summersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Summersville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summersville
- Marcoe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Marcoe is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcoe
- Pigeon ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Pigeon is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Marlow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Marlow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
- Waltonville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Bonnie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Xenia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kenner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kenner is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Centralia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hoffman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Huey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Posey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Posey is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posey
- Boulder
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Boulder is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder
- Carlyle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Beckemeyer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Keyesport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bartelso
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Marydale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marydale is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydale
- Breese
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Germantown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Fayette County
- Saint Paul
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Saint Paul is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Sesser
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ewing
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Whittington
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Taylor Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Taylor Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Hill
- Frisco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Frisco is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
- Rend City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Rend City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rend City
- Valier
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Benton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Buckner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Coello
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- North City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- North City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Steel City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Steel City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel City
- West City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- West City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
- Hamilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Dahlgren
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Lovilla
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lovilla is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilla
- Belle Prairie City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Belle Prairie City is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
- Piopolis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Piopolis is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piopolis
- Macedonia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Walnut Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Kell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cartter
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cartter is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartter
- Central City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Central City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,107 people
- Junction City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Junction City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
- Odin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Sandoval
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Hickory Hill is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
- Salem
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Union Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Union Town is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Town
- Bannister
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bannister is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannister
- Fairman
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Fairman is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairman
- Iuka
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Tamaroa
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sunfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sunfield is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunfield
- Saint Johns
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Johns is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Du Quoin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Du Quoin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Quoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,591 people
- Pinckneyville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Baldwin Heights
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Baldwin Heights is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin Heights
- Irvington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Wamac
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wamac is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamac
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,117 people
- Richview
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ashley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Radom
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hoyleton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Du Bois
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Du Bois is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Bois
- Population from the 2020 Census: 189 people
- New Minden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- New Minden is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Minden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
- Posen
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Posen is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posen
- Nashville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Addieville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Oakdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Keenes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wayne City
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Johnsonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Sims
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Boyd, see our County-by-County Page for Boyd.
Cemeteries Near Boyd ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Boyd.
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 Boyd - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Boyd covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Boyd Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Boyd Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Gaston Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Catherine Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jennings Farm Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Gilead Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Piskey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Little Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Old Shiloh Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (429 more) ...
- Oddfellows Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Reynolds Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- New Shiloh Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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 in 1895, Boyd had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Boyd, with the one closest to Boyd listed first.
- Walnut Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Dix
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Drivers
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Drivers is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drivers
- Idlewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Idlewood is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewood
- Roaches
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Roaches is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaches
- Mount Vernon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Irvington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Richview
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Divide
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Divide is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
- Foxville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Foxville is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxville
- Centralia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ashley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Central City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Central City is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,107 people
- Radom
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Marlow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Marlow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Boyd. See our List of 1890's Communities around Boyd.
Newspapers Published in Boyd ...
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 123 newspapers that have been published in the area around Boyd.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Boyd, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Boyd.
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 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 Boyd:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Jefferson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Clinton County
- Fayette County
- Franklin County
- Hamilton County
- Marion County
- Perry County
- Washington County
- Wayne 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 Boyd, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Boyd) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |