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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 Crossroads (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 Crossroads. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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 west 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.

Crossroads is located in Johnson County.

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 Johnson County: Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union & Williamson.

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

  • Johnson County     (The home county of Crossroads)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Grantsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wartrace
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wartrace is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartrace
    • Bender ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Bender is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bender
    • Reevesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Reevesville is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reevesville
    • Vienna
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Belknap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Simpson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Reynoldsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Reynoldsburg is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsburg
    • Cypress
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Buncombe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ozark
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Deer Ridge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Deer Ridge is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Ridge
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Elco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Tamms
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Tamms is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamms
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tamms <1>
    • Hodges Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hodges Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodges Park
    • Unity
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Diswood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Diswood is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diswood
    • Cache
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cairo Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cairo Junction is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo Junction
    • Frog City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Frog City is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frog City
    • Cairo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Cairo is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,989 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cairo <1>
    • Future City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Future City is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Future City
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Shetlerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Shetlerville is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shetlerville
    • Mineral City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Mineral City is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
    • Rosiclare
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Elizabethtown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Karbers Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Jackson County
    • Makanda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Massac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • New Columbia
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • New Columbia is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
    • Big Bay
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Big Bay is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
    • Joppa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Metropolis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Massac City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Massac City is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac City
    • Brookport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Shady Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Shady Grove is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
    • Unionville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Unionville is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Dixon Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Dixon Springs is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
    • Glendale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Glendale is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Rock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Rock is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Eddyville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • McCormick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • McCormick is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCormick
    • Bay City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Bay City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
    • Golconda
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lusk
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lusk is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lusk
    • Hartsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartsville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • Leisure City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Leisure City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure City
    • Oak
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
    • Hamletsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pulaski County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Karnak
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Grand Chain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • New Grand Chain is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Grand Chain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
    • Grand Chain
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Perks
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Olmsted
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Ullin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Pulaski
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Villa Ridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Villa Ridge is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Ridge
    • Mound City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mounds
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mounds is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounds
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Stonefort
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Carrier Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Carrier Mills is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrier Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,527 people
      • Former names for Carrier Mills:
      • Carriers Mills
      • Morrilsville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carrier Mills <1>
    • Mitchellsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mitchellsville is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellsville
    • Ledford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Ledford is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledford
    • Liberty
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Liberty is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Buena Vista
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Buena Vista is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Gaskins City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Gaskins City is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaskins City
    • Harrisburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Lick Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Lick Creek is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
    • Dongola
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Mill Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Mill Creek is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Water Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Water Valley is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
    • Anna
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Anna is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
    • Dutch Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Dutch Mills is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Mills
    • Jonesboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Cobden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Creal Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Lake Crest
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Lake Crest is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Crest
    • Marion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Marion is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Pittsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Spillertown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Spillertown is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spillertown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • Crainville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Crainville is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crainville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
  • Ballard County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Bandana
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Bandana is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandana
    • Kevil
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Kevil is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kevil
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kevil <1>
    • La Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ceredo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Ceredo is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceredo
    • Barlow
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Barlow is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
    • Gage
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Gage is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gage
    • Lovelaceville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Lovelaceville is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelaceville
    • Blandville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Blandville is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Wickliffe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Carlisle County (KY)
  • Graves County (KY)
    • Melber
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Melber is located in Graves County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melber
  • Livingston County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Carrsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Carrsville is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
    • Hampton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Hampton is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Burna
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Burna is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burna
    • Smithland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ledbetter
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Lola is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola
  • McCracken County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crossroads, with the one closest to Crossroads listed first.
    • Ragland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Ragland is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragland
    • Grahamville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Grahamville is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahamville
    • Cimota City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Cimota City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimota City
    • Woodville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Woodville is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • West Paducah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Future City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Future City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Future City
    • West Future City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • West Future City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Future City
    • Paducah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Paducah is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paducah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,883 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paducah <1>
    • Camelia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Camelia is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelia
    • Lone Oak
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Lone Oak is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Oak
    • Massac
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Massac is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac
    • Hendron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Hendron is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendron

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

Cemeteries Near Crossroads ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Crossroads.

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

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

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

  • Morgan Cemetery
    • The Morgan Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106966 <2>
  • Wymore Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Curtis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Central Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Burnham Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Clendenon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Cagle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Clymore Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Rentfro Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Scoggins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Carr Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (536 more) ...
    • Massonic Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ebenezer Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Holt Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)

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>

While we didn't find Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Crossroads.

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

  • Samoth
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Samoth is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoth
  • New Columbia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Columbia is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
  • Grantsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Wartrace
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wartrace is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartrace
  • Boaz
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Boaz is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boaz
  • Grinnell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Grinnell is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinnell
  • Big Bay
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Big Bay is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
  • Reevesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Reevesville is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reevesville
  • Belknap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Vienna
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bloomfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bloomfield is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
  • Hillerman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillerman is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillerman
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Round Knob
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Round Knob is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Knob
    • Allens Spring
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Allens Spring is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Spring
    • Simpson
      (8 miles [12.9 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 Crossroads. See our List of 1890's Communities around Crossroads.

Newspapers Published in Crossroads ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Crossroads.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Crossroads.

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 helpful 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 Crossroads:

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 Crossroads, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.