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 Centerville (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 Centerville. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Centerville is located in Piatt 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 Piatt County: Champaign, De Witt, Douglas, Macon, McLean & Moultrie.
Below are the counties that are near Centerville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Centerville:
- Piatt County (The home county of Centerville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- White Heath
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mansfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Monticello
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- De Land
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bement
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Cisco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Milmine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Voorhies
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Voorhies is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
- Cerro Gordo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Atwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Burrowsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Burrowsville is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
- Hammond
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lintner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Lintner is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lintner
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Seymour
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Bondville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mahomet
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lake of the Woods
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
- Staley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Staley is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
- Ivesdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Champaign
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Savoy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lotus
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lotus is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
- Sadorus
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Urbana
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Fisher
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tolono
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- De Witt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Farmer City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Parnell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Parnell is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
- Weldon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Fullerton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fullerton is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
- Watkins
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Watkins is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
- De Witt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- De Witt is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
- Lane
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Birkbeck
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
- Clinton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Wapella
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Rowell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Rowell is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowell
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Chicken Bristle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Chicken Bristle is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicken Bristle
- Hayes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hayes is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
- Garrett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Garrett is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
- Ficklin
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Ficklin is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ficklin
- Tuscola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Villa Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Villa Grove is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,414 people
- Fairland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairland is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Arthur
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Camargo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Patterson Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Patterson Springs is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
- Chesterville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chesterville is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterville
- Ford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Proctor
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Gibson City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Gibson City is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
- Gibson City has also been known as:
- Gibson
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <1>
- Elliott
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Garber
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Macon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Argenta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Oreana
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Maroa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Sangamon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sangamon is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sangamon
- Casner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Casner is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casner
- Forsyth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Long Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Long Creek is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
- Decatur
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Kumler
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Kumler is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
- Laurette
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Laurette is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
- Bellflower
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Glen Avon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Glen Avon is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
- Le Roy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saybrook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Arrowsmith
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Ellsworth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Downs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gillum
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gillum is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillum
- Heyworth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Anchor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Moultrie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Lake City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lake City is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Lovington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Cadwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cadwell is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadwell
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Centerville, see our County-by-County Page for Centerville.
Cemeteries Near Centerville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Centerville.
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 Centerville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Centerville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- Ingram Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Mackey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Boyer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mallory Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Madden Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel Harris Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Harris Cemetery
- The Bethel Harris Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bethel Cemetery
- Bethel Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
- Bethel United Methodist Cemetery
- Harris Cemetery
- Old Harris Cemetery
- Seymour Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
- Hughes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Camp Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Argo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mansfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bucks Pond Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Marquiss Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (216 more) ...
- Woolington Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Monticello Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Monticello Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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.<2>
While we didn't find Centerville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Centerville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Centerville, with the one closest to Centerville listed first.
- White Heath
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Lodge
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Lodge is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge
- Seymour
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Galesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Galesville is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesville
- Bondville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mansfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Monticello
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mahomet
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- De Land
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Rising
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Rising is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising
- Staley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Staley is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
- Harris
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Harris is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Blue Ridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Blue Ridge is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
- Osman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Osman is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osman
- Farmer City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Centerville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Centerville.
Newspapers Published in Centerville ...
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 178 newspapers that have been published in the area around Centerville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Centerville, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Centerville.
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 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 Centerville:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Piatt County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Champaign County
- De Witt County
- Douglas County
- Ford County
- Macon County
- McLean County
- Moultrie 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> | 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 Centerville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Centerville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |