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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 Clinton (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 Clinton. 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.

Name Variations for Clinton ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

In past government published Postal Guides, Clinton was referred to as Clinton Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Clinton. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Clinton.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 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.

Clinton is located in De Witt County and is the County Seat.

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 De Witt County: Logan, Macon, McLean & Piatt.

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

  • De Witt County     (The home county of Clinton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Lane
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Wapella
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Birkbeck
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
    • Rowell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Rowell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowell
    • Hallsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Hallsville is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
    • Kenney
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • De Witt
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • De Witt is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Midland City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Midland City is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland City
    • Tabor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Tabor is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Waynesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Weldon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Fullerton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Seymour
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lotus
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lotus is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
    • Mahomet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Ivesdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Christian County
    • Mount Auburn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Beason
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Chestnut
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Atlanta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Latham
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lawndale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Mount Pulaski
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Chestervale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Chestervale is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestervale
    • Evans
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Evans is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
    • Lincoln
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • Lake Fork
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Broadwell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Broadwell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Maroa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Argenta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Forsyth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Oreana
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Warrensburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Bearsdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Bearsdale is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearsdale
    • Decatur
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Sangamon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Sangamon is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sangamon
    • Harristown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Niantic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Long Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Long Creek is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
    • Turpin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Turpin is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turpin
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Heyworth
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • McLean
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Downs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Le Roy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gillum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Gillum is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillum
    • Shirley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Brokaw
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Brokaw is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
    • Bloomington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Kumler
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Kumler is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
    • Glen Avon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Glen Avon is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
    • Ellsworth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Stanford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Moultrie County
    • Lake City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake City is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
  • Piatt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Cisco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • De Land
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Cerro Gordo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Monticello
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Milmine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Mansfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • White Heath
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Bement
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • La Place
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lintner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lintner is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lintner
    • Voorhies
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Voorhies is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
    • Burrowsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Burrowsville is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Illiopolis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Buffalo Hart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clinton, with the one closest to Clinton listed first.
    • Armington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Burt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Burt is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
    • Richmond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Richmond is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
    • Minier
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sutter ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Sutter is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutter
    • Boynton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Boynton is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
    • Mindale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mindale is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mindale
    • Fravert ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Fravert is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fravert
    • Hopedale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Tazewell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell

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

Cemeteries Near Clinton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clinton.

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 Clinton - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Oak Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Weaver Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Rose Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Willmore Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Tunbridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Baptist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Barnett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Crum Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Griffith Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (249 more) ...
    • Maroa Twp. Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Lisenby Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • St. Particks Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)

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 Clinton had a population of 2,598 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Clinton had a population of 6,733 people.

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

  • Ospur
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Ospur is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ospur
  • Lane
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Birkbeck
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
  • Wapella
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Rowell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Rowell is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowell
  • Hallsville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hallsville is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
  • Kenney
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Maroa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • De Witt
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • De Witt is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
  • Midland City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Midland City is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland City
  • Solomon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Solomon is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solomon
  • Waynesville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Emery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Emery is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emery
    • Weldon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Heyworth
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Clinton ...

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 161 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clinton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clinton, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clinton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Clinton:

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 Clinton, 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- Clinton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.