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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 Browns Crossing (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 Browns Crossing. 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 Browns Crossing ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

  • A typical abbreviation for Browns Crossing: Browns Xing.
  • While the name of this community is Browns Crossing, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Browns Crossing may originally have been Brown's Crossing.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Browns Crossing might be written as Brown Crossing.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Browns Crossing. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Browns Crossing.

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 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.

Browns Crossing is located in Sangamon 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 Sangamon County: Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery & Morgan.

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

  • Sangamon County     (The home county of Browns Crossing)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • New Berlin
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Berlin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Berlin is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Maxwell ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Loami
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pasfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
    • Pleasant Plains
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Curran
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Curran is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Lowder
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chatham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Salisbury
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Salisbury is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Auburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jerome
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jerome is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
    • Leland Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Leland Grove is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,451 people
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Ashland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Gurney ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Gurney is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
    • Old Princeton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Old Princeton is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Princeton
    • Philadelphia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Burlingame
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Burlingame is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Newmansville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Virginia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jules
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jules is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
    • Arenzville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Chandlerville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Hagener
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hagener is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
    • Bluff Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Zenobia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
    • Tovey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Tovey is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tovey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tovey <2>
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Roodhouse
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • White Hall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wrights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Modesto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Scottville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Virden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Palmyra
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Girard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Nilwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hettick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Standard City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Standard City is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Comer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Comer is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comer
    • Hagaman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Hagaman is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagaman
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • White City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • White City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Kilbourne
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Snicarte
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Snicarte is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Tallula
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Petersburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Athens
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Greenview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Croft
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Farmersville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • White Oak
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Waggoner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Alexander
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Franklin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pisgah
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Pisgah is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Arnold
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Arnold is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
    • Prentice
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Waverly
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jacksonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • South Jacksonville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • South Jacksonville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jacksonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,075 people
    • Literberry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcadia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Murrayville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lynnville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Lynnville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Browns Crossing, with the one closest to Browns Crossing listed first.
    • Manchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Winchester
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Alsey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Exeter
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Exeter is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Glasgow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Glasgow is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
    • Bluffs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Oxville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Oxville is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxville

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

Cemeteries Near Browns Crossing ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Browns Crossing.

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 Browns Crossing - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Foutch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Wilcox Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Luken Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Island Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hodgerson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Berlin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Little York Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Little Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sulphur Springs Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (430 more) ...
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Smyrna Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Staley 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.<4>

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

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

  • Alexander
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • New Berlin
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Berlin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Berlin is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
  • Orleans
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Orleans is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
  • Maxwell ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Franklin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bates
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Bates is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates
  • Pisgah
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Pisgah is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Loami
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Arnold
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Arnold is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
  • Prentice
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Prentice is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
  • Waverly
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Pasfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
    • Sinclair
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Sinclair is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair
    • Richland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Richland is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland

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

Newspapers Published in Browns Crossing ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Browns Crossing.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Browns Crossing, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Browns Crossing.

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 helpful 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 Browns Crossing:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Browns Crossing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Browns Crossing) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.