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A visit to the Downs Cemetery ...


The location of the Downs Cemetery has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<1>


Introduction ...

Note: We have organized the cemeteries in our Gazetteer based on a problem that we had while working on our own genealogy. Without specifying the cemeteries involved, we found an ancestor that we believed to have been buried in one cemetery was actually buried elsewhere.

We discovered that his burial had been refused at the last moment and the family had scrambled to make new arrangements. By looking at nearby cemeteries, the surrounding communities and in newspapers of the period, we were finally able to locate his burial site.

Should you find yourself in the same situation, we hope that our Gazetteer helps you discover your lost ancestor.

The Location of the Downs Cemetery ...

Note: The GPS location that we are using for the Downs Cemetery can be traced back to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)

We are using the following GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) for the Downs Cemetery

Lat:   37.9198°   (37° 55' 11")

Lon:   -88.8131°   (-88° 48' 47")

The Downs Cemetery is located in Franklin County<2>.

The county seat for Franklin County is located in Benton. Benton lies just to the northwest of the Downs Cemetery .

Websites to help with your research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 websites are open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that might help with the Downs Cemetery:

  • Pages specific to Illinois:
  • Pages specific to Franklin County:
  • Genealogy information for nearby counties:
  • Cemetery Information and Directories:
  • About the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church ...
    • Although we don't have a link to the Downs Cemetery itself, you might be curious about the African Methodist Episcopal Church. See their website at:
    • The African Methodist Episcopal Church

    • List of neighboring communities ...

    The following 25 communities are within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of the Downs Cemetery.

    We've listed the following communities based on their distance from Downs Cemetery, with the nearest first.

    • Parrish
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrish
      • Parrish is located in Franklin County
    • Fitt's Hill ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fitt's Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitt's Hill
      • Fitt's Hill is located in Franklin County
    • Hanaford
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hanaford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanaford
      • Hanaford is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
    • Thompsonville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Deering City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deering City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deering City
      • Deering City is located in Franklin County
    • Akin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Akin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akin
      • Akin is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Akin <5>
    • West Frankfort
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Frankfort have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Frankfort
      • West Frankfort is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,733 people
    • Steel City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel City
      • Steel City is located in Franklin County
    • Corinth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corinth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
      • Corinth is located in Williamson County
    • Benton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Benton is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,784 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benton <5>
    • West City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West City
      • West City is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
    • Orient
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orient have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orient
      • Orient is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orient <5>
    • Continue List   (13 more) ...
      • Stiritz
        (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiritz
        • Stiritz is located in Williamson County
      • Johnston City
        (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Plumfield
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumfield
        • Plumfield is located in Franklin County
      • Freeman Spur
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Spur
        • Freeman Spur is located in Williamson County
        • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
        • Freeman Spur has also been known as:
        • Freeman Spur village
        • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeman Spur <5>
      • Whiteash
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteash
        • Whiteash is located in Williamson County
        • Estimated population in 2014: 240 people
      • Pittsburg
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
        • Pittsburg is located in Williamson County
        • Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
        • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pittsburg <5>
      • Cornerville
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornerville
        • Cornerville is located in Saline County
      • Macedonia
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macedonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
        • Macedonia is located in Hamilton County
        • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
        • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macedonia <5>
      • Cambon
        (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambon
        • Cambon is located in Franklin County
      • Ewing
        (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Hartford
        (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
        • Hartford is located in Williamson County
      • Rend City
        (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rend City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rend City
        • Rend City is located in Franklin County
      • Buckner
        (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
        • Buckner is located in Franklin County
        • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
        • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckner <5>

    For the full list of neighboring communities with details, please visit our extended List of Communities.

    Nearby communities with newspapers ...

    The following communities are those where newspapers have been published and are located in the vicinity of the Downs Cemetery. Unless otherwise noted, the following communities are located in Franklin County.

    More information can be found on our list of Local Newspapers for The Downs Cemetery.

    We've listed the following communities alphabetically.

    List of nearby cemeteries ...

    Based on our list of cemeteries, we know of 32 that are within 7 miles [11.3 km] of the Downs Cemetery.<6>

    We've listed the following cemeteries based on their distance from Downs Cemetery, with the nearest first.

    • Melvin Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Melvin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Melvin Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Melvin Cemetery
    • Crawford Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crawford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Crawford Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crawford Cemetery
    • East Fork Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • The East Fork Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the East Fork Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the northeast of Thompsonville.
      • The East Fork Cemetery has also been known as:
      • East Fork Baptist Church Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Fork Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1989982 <7>
    • Clem Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Clem Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clem Cemetery
    • Jones Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Neal Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Neal Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neal Cemetery
    • Swofford Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swofford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Swofford Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swofford Cemetery
    • Isaacs Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Isaacs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Isaacs Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Isaacs Cemetery
    • Joplin Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Joplin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Joplin Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Joplin Cemetery
    • Neal Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neal Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Neal Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neal Cemetery
    • Franklin Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Franklin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Franklin Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Franklin Cemetery
    • Baxter Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baxter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Baxter Cemetery is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baxter Cemetery
    • Continue List   (20 more) ...
      • Tower Heights Cemetery
        (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
        • The Tower Heights Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • The Tower Heights Cemetery has also been known as:
        • Tower Height Cemetery
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tower Heights Cemetery
      • Oddfellow Cemetery
        (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oddfellow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Oddfellow Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oddfellow Cemetery
      • Trinity Cemetery
        (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Trinity Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
      • Williams Prairie Baptist Church Cemetery
        (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Stilley Cemetery
        (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
        • The Stilley Cemetery is located in Williamson County
        • The Stilley Cemetery has also been known as:
        • William D. Stilley Family Cemetery
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stilley Cemetery
        • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108407 <7>
      • County Farm Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The County Farm Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Farm Cemetery
      • Rea Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rea Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Rea Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rea Cemetery
      • New Union Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The New Union Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Union Cemetery
      • Bonner Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bonner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Bonner Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bonner Cemetery
      • St. Johns Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Boner Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
        • The Boner Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • The Boner Cemetery has also been known as:
        • Boner Chapel Cemetery
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boner Cemetery
      • Clayton Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
        • The Clayton Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clayton Cemetery
      • County Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The County Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Cemetery
      • Lithuanian Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Murphey Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Murphey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Murphey Cemetery is located in Williamson County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Murphey Cemetery
      • Harris Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Harris Cemetery is located in Williamson County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Cemetery
      • Locust Grove Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Locust Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Locust Grove Cemetery is located in Williamson County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Locust Grove Cemetery
      • Brady Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brady Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Brady Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brady Cemetery
      • Manion Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Manion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Manion Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Manion Cemetery
      • Otterson Cemetery
        (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
        • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Otterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
        • The Otterson Cemetery is located in Franklin County
        • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Otterson Cemetery

    For an expanded list with details, please visit our List of cemeteries.

    Miscellaneous References and Mentions ...

    Our approach is to add the name of a cemetery whenever we see it mentioned - usually from newspapers, old books and maps. Typically we have little information to start with, but we continue to add detail as we find it.

    We've created the following list to keep track of the sources that we found useful for the Downs Cemetery:

    • Referenced GNIS Record ...
    • GNIS ID #407370  (Downs Cemetery)
      • Note: GNIS record #407370 has been archived by the USGS. It is no longer maintained by the USGS, nor can it be retrieved from their website.
      • Class: cemetery         Map Name: Thompsonville
      • County: Franklin         Elev: 134
      • Location given for GNIS #407370 (Downs Cemetery)

    The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

    Footnotes ...

    <1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
    <2>If you're interested in how the shape of Illinois' counties, including Franklin, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
    <3>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- ) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point at the Downs Cemetery. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9198, Longitude: -88.8131       In this case, the coordinates for the Downs Cemetery have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
    <4>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
    <5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
    <6>While we have an extensive database of cemeteries (with over 200,000 entries), you can be assured that it's not complete and our list will be missing cemeteries.
    <7>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 06 Apr 2024