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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 Colchester (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 Colchester. 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 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.

Colchester is located in McDonough 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 McDonough County: Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Schuyler & Warren.

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

  • McDonough County     (The home county of Colchester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Tennessee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tennessee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennessee
      • Tennessee is located in McDonough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tennessee <2>
    • VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • East Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
      • East Village is located in McDonough County
    • Lamone Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamone Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
      • Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
    • Macomb
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macomb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Macomb is located in McDonough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <2>
    • University Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
      • University Village is located in McDonough County
    • Colmar
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Colmar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
      • Colmar is located in McDonough County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Colmar
      • From Colchester to Colmar
    • Sciota
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Blandinsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Good Hope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
      • Good Hope is located in McDonough County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Good Hope <2>
    • Industry
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bardolph
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • La Prairie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Golden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden
      • Golden is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 611 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden <2>
    • Blacks
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blacks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacks
      • Blacks is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blacks
      • From Colchester to Blacks
    • Clayton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 668 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clayton <2>
    • Loraine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Camp Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camp Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Point
      • Camp Point is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,080 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Camp Point <2>
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Ripley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ripley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
      • Ripley is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Mound Station
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Timewell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timewell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timewell
      • Timewell is located in Brown County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Timewell <2>
    • Mount Sterling
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Table Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Table Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Table Grove
      • Table Grove is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Table Grove <2>
    • Marietta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Vermont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Checkrow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Avon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Ipava
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ipava have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ipava
      • Ipava is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ipava <2>
    • Babylon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
      • Smithfield is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smithfield <2>
    • Astoria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Astoria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astoria
      • Astoria is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,015 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Astoria <2>
    • Blyton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Summum
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Ellisville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisville
      • Ellisville is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellisville <2>
  • Hancock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Joetta
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Joetta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
      • Joetta is located in Hancock County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Joetta
      • From Colchester to Joetta
    • Fountain Green
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Plymouth
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
      • Plymouth is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plymouth <2>
    • La Harpe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Augusta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
      • Augusta is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 534 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Augusta <2>
    • Burnside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Disco
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bentley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bentley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
      • Bentley is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
    • Carthage
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Bowen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
      • Bowen is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bowen <2>
    • Ferris
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferris
      • Ferris is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ferris <2>
    • Adrian
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adrian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
      • Adrian is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adrian <2>
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Raritan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raritan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
      • Raritan is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Terre Haute
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Stronghurst
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Iowa Junction
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
      • Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
    • Lomax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lomax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
      • Lomax is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lomax <2>
    • Media
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Media have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
      • Media is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Olena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Carman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carman
      • Carman is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carman <2>
    • Biggsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biggsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
      • Biggsville is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Gulf Port
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Knox County
    • Saint Augustine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Augustine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Augustine
      • Saint Augustine is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 111 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Augustine <2>
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Wayland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wayland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
      • Wayland is located in Schuyler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wayland
      • From Colchester to Wayland
    • Huntsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Littleton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Littleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littleton
      • Littleton is located in Schuyler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Littleton <2>
    • Camden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Camden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
      • Camden is located in Schuyler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Camden <2>
    • Rushville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bader
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bader. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
      • Bader is located in Schuyler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bader
      • From Colchester to Bader
    • Browning
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colchester, with the one closest to Colchester listed first.
    • Youngstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Roseville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Smithshire
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithshire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithshire
      • Smithshire is located in Warren County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smithshire <2>
    • Berwick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwick
      • Berwick is located in Warren County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berwick <2>
    • Kirkwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkwood
      • Kirkwood is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 670 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kirkwood <2>
  • Des Moines County (IA)
    • Patterson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patterson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
      • Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
  • Lee County (IA)
    • Wever
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wever have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wever
      • Wever is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wever <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Colchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Colchester.

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

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

  • Mt. Auburn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Auburn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Auburn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moore Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Neese Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neese Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barber Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barber Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bean Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Lower Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Argyle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Argyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Argyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Atkinson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Hutchinson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hutchinson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hutchinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gibson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Miler Grave
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miler Grave
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miler Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (425 more) ...
    • Archer - Bethel Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Archer - Bethel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Archer - Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Strader Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strader Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strader Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Riden Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riden Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riden 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Colchester had a population of 1,645 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Colchester had a population of 1,273 people.

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

  • Tennessee
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tennessee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tennessee
    • Tennessee is located in McDonough County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tennessee <2>
  • Hills Grove ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hills Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Grove
    • Hills Grove is located in McDonough County
  • Fandon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fandon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fandon
    • Fandon is located in McDonough County
  • Macomb
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macomb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
    • Macomb is located in McDonough County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,206 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <2>
  • Colmar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Colmar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
    • Colmar is located in McDonough County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Colmar
    • From Colchester to Colmar
  • Joetta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Joetta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
    • Joetta is located in Hancock County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Joetta
    • From Colchester to Joetta
  • Saint Mary
    (9 miles [14.5 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 Hancock County
  • Blandinsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Sciota
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Fountain Green
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Good Hope
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
    • Good Hope is located in McDonough County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Good Hope <2>
  • Plymouth
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
    • Plymouth is located in Hancock County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plymouth <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Birmingham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birmingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
      • Birmingham is located in Schuyler County
    • Industry
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Webster
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Hancock County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Colchester ...

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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around Colchester.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Colchester. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Colchester and those printed in the larger area surrounding Colchester.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Colchester.

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 Colchester:

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>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 Colchester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Colchester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Colchester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4263, Longitude: -90.7933