RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Clay County >> Clay City >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Illinois

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 Clay City (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 Clay City. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Clay City is located in Clay County.

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 Clay County: Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Richland & Wayne.

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

  • Clay County     (The home county of Clay City)
  • Crawford County
  • Edwards County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Bennington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Marion
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Edwards County
    • West Salem
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bone Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ellery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Albion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
      • Albion is located in Edwards County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,889 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <2>
    • Red Top
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Top. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
      • Red Top is located in Edwards County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Red Top
      • From Clay City to Red Top
    • Browns
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
      • Browns is located in Edwards County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Browns <2>
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgewood <2>
    • Mason
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Dieterich
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Watson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 732 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
    • Heartville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gilmore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilmore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
      • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gilmore
      • From Clay City to Gilmore
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • La Clede
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Farina
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Peter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Peter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Peter
      • Saint Peter is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Peter <2>
    • Loogootee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loogootee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loogootee
      • Loogootee is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loogootee <2>
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Bogota
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • West Liberty
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
      • West Liberty is located in Jasper County
    • Lis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lis
      • Lis is located in Jasper County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lis
      • From Clay City to Lis
    • Newton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,818 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <2>
    • Wheeler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheeler <2>
    • Sainte Marie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sainte Marie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sainte Marie
      • Sainte Marie is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sainte Marie <2>
    • Falmouth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Hill
      • Willow Hill is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow Hill <2>
    • Rose Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rose Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
      • Rose Hill is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rose Hill
      • From Clay City to Rose Hill
    • Hunt City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Shields
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
      • Shields is located in Jefferson County
    • Pigeon ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pigeon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
      • Pigeon is located in Jefferson County
  • Lawrence County
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Iuka
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iuka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
      • Iuka is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 462 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iuka <2>
    • Omega
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Omega. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
      • Omega is located in Marion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Omega
      • From Clay City to Omega
    • Union Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Town
      • Union Town is located in Marion County
    • Hickory Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
      • Hickory Hill is located in Marion County
    • Bannister
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bannister. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannister
      • Bannister is located in Marion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bannister
      • From Clay City to Bannister
    • Kinmundy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Alma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <2>
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Noble
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noble have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
      • Noble is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noble <2>
    • Passport
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Passport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passport
      • Passport is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Passport
      • From Clay City to Passport
    • Wynoose
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wynoose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
      • Wynoose is located in Richland County
    • Gallagher
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gallagher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
      • Gallagher is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gallagher
      • From Clay City to Gallagher
    • Wakefield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Olney
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Calhoun
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calhoun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
      • Calhoun is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calhoun <2>
    • Parkersburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
      • Parkersburg is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkersburg <2>
    • Dundas
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundas
      • Dundas is located in Richland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundas <2>
    • Claremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Claremont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
      • Claremont is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Claremont <2>
    • Amity
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Amity. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Amity is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Amity
      • From Clay City to Amity
    • Berryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Berryville is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berryville
      • From Clay City to Berryville
  • Wabash County
    • Lancaster
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lancaster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
      • Lancaster is located in Wabash County
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Rinard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Enterprise
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enterprise. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
      • Enterprise is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enterprise
      • From Clay City to Enterprise
    • Cisne
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisne
      • Cisne is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisne <2>
    • Mount Erie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Johnsonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Geff
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geff
      • Geff is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geff <2>
    • Jeffersonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Fairfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Boyleston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boyleston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
      • Boyleston is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Boyleston
      • From Clay City to Boyleston
    • Golden Gate
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate
      • Golden Gate is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden Gate <2>
    • Sims
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sims have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims
      • Sims is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sims <2>
    • Wayne City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wayne City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne City
      • Wayne City is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 983 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wayne City <2>
    • Barnhill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnhill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhill
      • Barnhill is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barnhill <2>
  • White County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clay City, with the one closest to Clay City listed first.
    • Burnt Prairie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnt Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Prairie
      • Burnt Prairie is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burnt Prairie <2>
    • Mill Shoals
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Shoals
      • Mill Shoals is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mill Shoals <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Clay City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clay City.

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 Clay City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Clay City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Mt. Zion United Brethren Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion United Brethren Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion United Brethren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Travis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Travis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Travis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kneff Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kneff Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kneff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Number 4 Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Number 4 Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Number 4 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McKinney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKinney Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKinney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leonard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leonard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leonard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dillman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Barnes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barnes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hanna Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hanna Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hanna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (443 more) ...
    • Levitte Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Levitte Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Levitte Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rusk Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • White Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Clay City had a population of 612 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Clay City had a population of 898 people.

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

  • Sailor Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sailor Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sailor Springs
    • Sailor Springs is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sailor Springs <2>
  • Noble
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noble have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
    • Noble is located in Richland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noble <2>
  • Flora
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Rinard
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Wynoose
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wynoose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
    • Wynoose is located in Richland County
  • Passport
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Passport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passport
    • Passport is located in Richland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Passport
    • From Clay City to Passport
  • Gallagher
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gallagher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
    • Gallagher is located in Richland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Gallagher
    • From Clay City to Gallagher
  • Ingraham
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Louisville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisville
    • Louisville is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,087 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisville <2>
  • Kenner
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kenner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
    • Kenner is located in Clay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Kenner
    • From Clay City to Kenner
  • Enterprise
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enterprise. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Enterprise is located in Wayne County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Enterprise
    • From Clay City to Enterprise
  • Cisne
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisne
    • Cisne is located in Wayne County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisne <2>
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Clay City ...

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 83 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clay City.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Clay City. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Clay City and those printed in the larger area surrounding Clay City.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5> of Clay City.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Clay City:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clay City. 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>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.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Clay City) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clay City. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6868, Longitude: -88.3541    
<6>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 Clay City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 13 Jul 2025