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 Chapin (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 Chapin. 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 and hospitals 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.
Chapin is located in Morgan 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 Morgan County: Brown, Cass, Greene, Macoupin, Pike, Sangamon & Scott.
Below are the counties that are near Chapin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chapin:
- Morgan County (The home county of Chapin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Morgan City ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Concord
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lynnville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lynnville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Jacksonville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Arcadia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Meredosia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- South Jacksonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- South Jacksonville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jacksonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,075 people
- Literberry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Woodson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Arnold
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Arnold is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
- Murrayville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Alexander
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Adams County
- Kellerville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kellerville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerville
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Versailles
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cooperstown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cooperstown is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
- Gilbirds
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Gilbirds is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
- Hersman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hersman is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
- Ripley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ripley is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Mount Sterling
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Timewell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mound Station
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mound Station is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Calhoun County
- Cliffdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cliffdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffdale
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Arenzville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hagener
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hagener is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
- Old Princeton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Old Princeton is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Princeton
- Bluff Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Jules
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jules is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
- Burlingame
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Burlingame is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
- Virginia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beardstown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Philadelphia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Philadelphia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Gurney ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gurney is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
- Ashland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Chandlerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Roodhouse
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Patterson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Wilmington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Wilmington is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- White Hall
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Hillview
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Belltown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Belltown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belltown
- Walkerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Walkerville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerville
- Wrights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Greenfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Macoupin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Scottville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Modesto
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Snicarte
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Snicarte is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
- White City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- White City is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Menard County
- Tallula
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Chambersburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Valley City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Valley City is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14 people
- Florence
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Florence is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
- Detroit
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Detroit is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Griggsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Perry
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Bedford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Milton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Time
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Time is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Time
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- New Salem
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- New Salem is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
- Pearl
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pittsfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Baylis
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Sangamon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Berlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Berlin is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Maxwell ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- New Berlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Plains
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Loami
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Pasfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
- Schuyler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Frederick
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Browning
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rushville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bader
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bader is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
- Bluff City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Exeter
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Exeter is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Bluffs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Winchester
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Oxville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oxville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxville
- Naples
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Alsey
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Glasgow
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Glasgow is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Manchester
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chapin, see our County-by-County Page for Chapin.
Cemeteries Near Chapin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chapin.
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 Chapin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chapin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Morgan City Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Tippet William Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Parks - Robinson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Chapin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Etheal Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Woodward Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Grace Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Concord Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Neelyville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Berry Farm Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Campbell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (539 more) ...
- Liberty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hemminghaus Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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 Chapin had a population of 450 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Chapin had a population of 474 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chapin, with the one closest to Chapin listed first.
- Bethel
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Bethel is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Morgan City ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Merritt
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Merritt is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merritt
- Concord
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Markham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Markham is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham
- Exeter
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Exeter is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Riggston
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Riggston is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riggston
- Lynnville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lynnville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Arenzville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Bluffs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Oxville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oxville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxville
- Jacksonville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- Arcadia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Meredosia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hagener
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hagener is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chapin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chapin.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chapin ...
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 137 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chapin.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chapin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chapin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chapin.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Chapin.
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 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 Chapin:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Morgan County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Brown County
- Calhoun County
- Cass County
- Greene County
- Macoupin County
- Mason County
- Menard County
- Pike County
- Sangamon County
- Schuyler County
- Scott 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 Chapin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Chapin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |