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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 Boyle (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 Boyle. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Boyle is located in Greene 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 Greene County: Calhoun, Jersey, Macoupin, Morgan, Pike & Scott.

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

  • Greene County     (The home county of Boyle)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Eldred
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Woody
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Woody is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woody
    • Walkerville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Walkerville is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerville
    • East Hardin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • East Hardin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hardin
    • Carrollton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Mid City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mid City is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mid City
    • Hillview
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Belltown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Belltown is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belltown
    • Kane
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Patterson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wilmington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Wilmington is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
    • White Hall
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Wrights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Kampsville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Michael
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Cliffdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cliffdale is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffdale
    • Hardin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Hamburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mozier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Belleview
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Belleview is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
    • Gilead
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gilead is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
    • Star City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Star City is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
    • Batchtown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Brussels
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Deer Plain
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Deer Plain is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Plain
    • Golden Eagle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Jersey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Spankey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Spankey is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spankey
    • Fieldon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Nutwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Nutwood is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
    • Jerseyville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Otterville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Otterville is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • McClusky
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • McClusky is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClusky
    • Grafton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Dow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fidelity
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Delhi
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Delhi is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • Chautauqua
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Chautauqua is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
    • Elsah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Challacombe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Challacombe is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Challacombe
    • Medora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Summerville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Summerville is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
    • Hagaman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hagaman is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagaman
    • Piasa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Chesterfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Scottville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brighton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hettick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Miles Station
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Miles Station is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miles Station
    • Shipman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Godfrey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Melville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Melville is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Murrayville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lynnville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lynnville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
    • Woodson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Bee Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Bee Creek is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Creek
    • Pearl
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Straut
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Straut is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straut
    • Nebo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bedford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Milton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Time
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Time is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Time
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
    • Martinsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Martinsburg is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
    • Detroit
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Detroit is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
    • Florence
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Florence is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
    • Pittsfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Summer Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Summer Hill is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer Hill
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Glasgow
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Glasgow is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
    • Alsey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Manchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Winchester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Oxville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Oxville is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxville
    • Exeter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Exeter is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
  • Lincoln County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Elsberry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Elsberry is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsberry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,098 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elsberry <1>
    • Foley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Foley is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Foley <1>
    • New Hope
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • New Hope is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
    • Cap au Gris
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Cap au Gris is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cap au Gris
    • Argentville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Argentville is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argentville
    • Winfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Winfield is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winfield <1>
    • Auburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Auburn is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Whiteside
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Whiteside is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteside
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Old Monroe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Fountain N' Lakes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Fountain N' Lakes is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain N' Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
      • Fountain N' Lakes has also been known as:
      • Fountain N' Lakes village
    • Briscoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Briscoe is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briscoe
    • Silex
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Silex is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silex
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 294 people
    • Chain-of-Rocks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Chain-of-Rocks is located in Lincoln County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chain-of-Rocks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
  • Pike County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Boyle, with the one closest to Boyle listed first.
    • Annada
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Annada is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annada
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28 people
    • Paynesville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
    • Sledd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Sledd is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sledd
    • Clarksville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Calumet
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Calumet is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
    • Eolia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Eolia is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eolia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eolia <1>
    • Louisiana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cyrene
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cyrene is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyrene
  • Saint Charles County (MO)
    • Portage Des Sioux
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Boyle ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Boyle.

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

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

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

  • Eldred Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Schumann Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Eldred Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Farrow Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Anselm Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Dayton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mulberry Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Silver Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Clark Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Cumming Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Varble Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Maberry Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (441 more) ...
    • Richwoods Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mt. Hope Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Borlin Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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>

While we didn't find Boyle in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Boyle.

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

  • Eldred
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Columbiana ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Columbiana is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbiana
  • Hurricane ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Hurricane is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurricane
  • Woody
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Woody is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woody
  • Cliffdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cliffdale is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffdale
  • Spankey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Spankey is located in Jersey County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spankey
  • Kaser
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Kaser is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaser
  • Hamburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Hardin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Bee Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bee Creek is located in Pike County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Creek
  • Walkerville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Walkerville is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerville
  • Carrollton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mozier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Gilead
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gilead is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
    • Berdan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Berdan is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berdan

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

Newspapers Published in Boyle ...

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 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Boyle.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Boyle, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Boyle.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Boyle:

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