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The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





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 Chester (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 Chester. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Chester is located in Randolph County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Randolph County: Jackson, Monroe, Perry, Saint Clair, Washington, Perry (MO) & Sainte Genevieve (MO).

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

  • Randolph County     (The home county of Chester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Menard
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menard
      • Menard is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menard <2>
    • Kaskaskia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kaskaskia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaskaskia
      • Kaskaskia is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
    • New Palestine
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Palestine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Palestine
      • New Palestine is located in Randolph County
    • Bremen
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellis Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis Grove
      • Ellis Grove is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellis Grove <2>
    • Dozaville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozaville
      • Dozaville is located in Randolph County
    • Leanderville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leanderville
      • Leanderville is located in Randolph County
    • Blair
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
      • Blair is located in Randolph County
    • Rockwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
      • Rockwood is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockwood <2>
    • Steeleville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Shiloh Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Hill
      • Shiloh Hill is located in Randolph County
    • Walsh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsh
      • Walsh is located in Randolph County
    • Preston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Randolph County
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Degognia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Degognia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Degognia
      • Degognia is located in Jackson County
    • Campbell Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Ava
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ava have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ava
      • Ava is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ava <2>
    • Jacob
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gorham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Oraville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Vergennes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Grand Tower
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Murphysboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Renault
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Fults
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fults have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fults
      • Fults is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fults <2>
    • Hecker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hecker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hecker
      • Hecker is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hecker <2>
    • Burksville Station
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville Station
      • Burksville Station is located in Monroe County
    • Burksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville
      • Burksville is located in Monroe County
    • Maeystown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Willisville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willisville
      • Willisville is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 578 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willisville <2>
    • Cutler
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Denmark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
      • Denmark is located in Perry County
    • Conant
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
      • Conant is located in Perry County
    • Winkle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winkle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkle
      • Winkle is located in Perry County
    • Pyatts
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyatts
      • Pyatts is located in Perry County
    • Pinckneyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Marissa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marissa
      • Marissa is located in Saint Clair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,785 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marissa <2>
    • Lenzburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • New Athens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Athens
      • New Athens is located in Saint Clair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,865 people
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Clarmin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarmin
      • Clarmin is located in Washington County
    • Caspars
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caspars have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspars
      • Caspars is located in Washington County
    • Elkton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
      • Elkton is located in Washington County
    • Oakdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Oakdale is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <2>
  • Bollinger County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Sedgewickville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sedgewickville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedgewickville
      • Sedgewickville is located in Bollinger County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Patton Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton Junction
      • Patton Junction is located in Bollinger County (MO)
    • Patton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Cape Girardeau County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Old Appleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Appleton
      • Old Appleton is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Friedheim
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friedheim have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedheim
      • Friedheim is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Friedheim <2>
    • Daisy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
      • Daisy is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
    • Shawneetown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawneetown
      • Shawneetown is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
    • Oak Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
      • Oak Ridge is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 231 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Ridge <2>
    • Pocahontas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pocahontas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Pocahontas is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocahontas <2>
  • Perry County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • McBride
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
      • McBride is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Lithium
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lithium have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithium
      • Lithium is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Sereno
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
      • Sereno is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Perryville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Farrar
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farrar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
      • Farrar is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Eureka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Longtown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
      • Longtown is located in Perry County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Silver Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
      • Silver Lake is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Brazeau
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazeau
      • Brazeau is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Biehle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biehle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biehle
      • Biehle is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Millheim
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millheim
      • Millheim is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Uniontown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Frohna
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frohna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frohna
      • Frohna is located in Perry County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
  • Saint Francois County (MO)
    • French Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Village
      • French Village is located in Saint Francois County (MO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for French Village <2>
  • Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Saint Mary
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Mary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
      • Saint Mary is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Mary <2>
    • Quarry Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quarry Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quarry Town
      • Quarry Town is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
      • Quarry Town has also been known as:
      • Quarrytown
    • Ozora
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ozora
      • Ozora is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Sainte Genevieve
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sainte Genevieve have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sainte Genevieve
      • Sainte Genevieve is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sainte Genevieve <2>
    • Little Rock Landing ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Rock Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Landing
      • Little Rock Landing is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Minnith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minnith have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnith
      • Minnith is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Marlo ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlo
      • Marlo is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • River aux Vases
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River aux Vases
      • River aux Vases is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
      • Former name for River aux Vases:
      • Staabtown
    • Zell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
      • Zell is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Clement ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clement have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement
      • Clement is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Clearwater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
      • Clearwater is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • New Offenburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Offenburg
      • New Offenburg is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Weingarten
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weingarten
      • Weingarten is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chester ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chester.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chester. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chester and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chester.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<3> of Chester.

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 Chester:

Cemeteries Near Chester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chester.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Mann Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mann Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mann Cemetery
  • Frazer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frazer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frazer Cemetery
  • Tindall Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tindall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tindall Cemetery
  • Grah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grah Cemetery
  • Draves Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Draves Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Draves Cemetery
  • Kaskaskia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kaskaskia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kaskaskia Cemetery
  • Nativity Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nativity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nativity Cemetery
  • Kirk Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kirk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kirk Cemetery
  • Moore Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
  • Continue List   (268 more) ...
    • Fulford Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fulford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fulford Cemetery
    • Paradise Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paradise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paradise Cemetery
    • Zion Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Chester had a population of 2,708 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Chester had a population of 8,145 people.

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

  • Menard
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menard
    • Menard is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menard <2>
  • Claryville
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Claryville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claryville
    • Claryville is located in Perry County (MO)
  • Kaskaskia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kaskaskia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaskaskia
    • Kaskaskia is located in Randolph County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
  • Bremen
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • New Palestine
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Palestine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Palestine
    • New Palestine is located in Randolph County
  • Lithium
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lithium have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithium
    • Lithium is located in Perry County (MO)
  • Belgique
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belgique have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgique
    • Belgique is located in Perry County (MO)
  • Welge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welge
    • Welge is located in Randolph County
  • Saint Mary
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Mary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
    • Saint Mary is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Mary <2>
  • Ellis Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellis Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis Grove
    • Ellis Grove is located in Randolph County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellis Grove <2>
  • Sereno
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
    • Sereno is located in Perry County (MO)
  • Point Rest
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Rest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Rest
    • Point Rest is located in Perry County (MO)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Rockwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
      • Rockwood is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockwood <2>
    • Blair
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
      • Blair is located in Randolph County
    • Steeleville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Chester. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Chester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9200, Longitude: -89.8262       In this case, the coordinates for Chester have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Chester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024