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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 Columbus (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 Columbus. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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

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

Columbus is located in Adams 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 Adams County: Brown, Hancock, Pike, Schuyler, Lewis (MO) & Marion (MO).

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

  • Adams County     (The home county of Columbus)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Coatsburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coatsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatsburg
      • Coatsburg is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coatsburg <2>
    • Paloma
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Camp Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Fowler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fowler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowler
      • Fowler is located in Adams County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fowler <2>
    • Liberty
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Liberty is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 500 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liberty <2>
    • Burton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
      • Burton is located in Adams County
    • Adams
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
      • Adams is located in Adams County
    • Blacks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Ewbanks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewbanks
      • Ewbanks is located in Adams County
    • Clayton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Golden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Mendon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Mound Station
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Station
      • Mound Station is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Timewell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Hersman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
      • Hersman is located in Brown County
    • Gilbirds
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
      • Gilbirds is located in Brown County
    • Ripley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Versailles
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Versailles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
      • Versailles is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 453 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Versailles <2>
    • Cooperstown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
      • Cooperstown is located in Brown County
  • Hancock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Chili
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chili
      • Chili is located in Hancock County
    • Bowen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • West Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
      • West Point is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
    • Augusta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Sutter
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sutter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutter
      • Sutter is located in Hancock County
    • Basco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Basco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Basco
      • Basco is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Basco <2>
    • Bentley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Plymouth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Elvaston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elvaston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elvaston
      • Elvaston is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elvaston <2>
    • Carthage
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Warsaw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warsaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
      • Warsaw is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warsaw <2>
    • Hamilton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
      • Hamilton is located in Hancock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,673 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hamilton <2>
  • McDonough County
    • Colmar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Hull
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hull have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
      • Hull is located in Pike County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <2>
    • Kinderhook
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Spencer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in Pike County
    • Shepherd
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shepherd. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherd
      • Shepherd is located in Pike County
    • Barry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Baylis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hadley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hadley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadley
      • Hadley is located in Pike County
    • New Canton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
      • New Canton is located in Pike County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
    • New Salem
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • New Salem is located in Pike County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
    • Perry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • El Dara
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Dara have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Dara
      • El Dara is located in Pike County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Dara <2>
    • Chambersburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Huntsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Huntsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
      • Huntsville is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huntsville <2>
    • Camden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Wayland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
  • Clark County (MO)
    • Alexandria
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Lewis County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • La Grange
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Grange have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
      • La Grange is located in Lewis County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Grange <2>
    • Canton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Lewis County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,314 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <2>
    • Maywood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maywood
      • Maywood is located in Lewis County (MO)
    • Weber
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber
      • Weber is located in Lewis County (MO)
    • Durham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
      • Durham is located in Lewis County (MO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durham <2>
    • Gilead
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilead. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
      • Gilead is located in Lewis County (MO)
    • Sellers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sellers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
      • Sellers is located in Lewis County (MO)
    • Ewing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ewing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
      • Ewing is located in Lewis County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ewing <2>
  • Marion County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Helton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
      • Helton is located in Marion County (MO)
    • Taylor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Cave City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cave City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave City
      • Cave City is located in Marion County (MO)
    • Hannibal
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannibal
      • Hannibal is located in Marion County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hannibal <2>
    • Dodge City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodge City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge City
      • Dodge City is located in Marion County (MO)
    • Oakwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
      • Oakwood is located in Marion County (MO)
    • Palmyra
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Palmyra is located in Marion County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,578 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmyra <2>
  • Pike County (MO)
    • Ashburn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashburn
      • Ashburn is located in Pike County (MO)
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 52 people
  • Ralls County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbus, with the one closest to Columbus listed first.
    • Saverton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saverton
      • Saverton is located in Ralls County (MO)
    • New London
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rensselaer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rensselaer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rensselaer
      • Rensselaer is located in Ralls County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people

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

Cemeteries Near Columbus ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Columbus.

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

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

  • Columbus Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Columbus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Columbus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilkes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilkes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilkes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gray Mound Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gray Mound Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gray Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hufnagel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hufnagel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hufnagel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lierly Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lierly Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lierly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Earel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Earel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Earel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gooding Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gooding Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gooding Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Paloma Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paloma Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paloma Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Independence Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Independence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Independence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (450 more) ...
    • Nation Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nation Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nation Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Coats Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coats Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coats Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wolf Ridge Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wolf Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wolf Ridge 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 Columbus had a population of 201 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Columbus had a population of 96 people.

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

  • Coatsburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coatsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coatsburg
    • Coatsburg is located in Adams County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 139 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coatsburg <2>
  • Paloma
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Camp Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Fowler
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fowler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowler
    • Fowler is located in Adams County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fowler <2>
  • Burton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
    • Burton is located in Adams County
  • Liberty
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Liberty is located in Adams County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 500 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liberty <2>
  • Adams
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
    • Adams is located in Adams County
  • Blacks
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Clayton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Golden
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Mendon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Kellerville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerville
    • Kellerville is located in Adams County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Payson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Richfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richfield
      • Richfield is located in Adams County
    • Loraine
      (12 miles [19.3 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 Columbus. See our List of 1890's Communities around Columbus.

Newspapers Published in Columbus ...

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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Columbus.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Columbus, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Columbus.

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 Columbus:

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

The official website for Adams County: www.co.adams.il.us/

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>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 Columbus, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Columbus) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Columbus. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.9881, Longitude: -91.1452       In this case, the coordinates for Columbus have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025