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

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

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

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

Dawson is located in Sangamon 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 Sangamon County: Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery & Morgan.

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

  • Sangamon County     (The home county of Dawson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Buffalo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Buffalo Hart
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
    • Mechanicsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Riverton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Spaulding
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Spaulding is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 836 people
    • Clear Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Rochester
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Williamsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Grandview
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Grandview is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,369 people
    • Sherman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Ridgely
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Ridgely is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
    • Hawthorne Place
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hawthorne Place is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne Place
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Ashland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Newmansville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Bolivia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolivia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
    • Mount Auburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Grove City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Grove City is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Edinburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Sharpsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Bulpitt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Kincaid
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Tovey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Tovey is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tovey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tovey <1>
    • Jeisyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Stonington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Langleyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Taylorville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Kenney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Midland City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Midland City is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland City
    • Rowell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rowell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowell
    • Hallsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hallsville is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
    • Tabor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Tabor is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Cornland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Fork
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Elkhart
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Broadwell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Broadwell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Mount Pulaski
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Latham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Middletown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Chestervale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Chestervale is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestervale
    • Chestnut
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lincoln
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Bell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Bell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • New Holland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Niantic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Harristown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Warrensburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Blue Mound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Boody
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Bearsdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Bearsdale is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearsdale
    • Elwin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Macon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Decatur
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Forsyth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Turpin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Turpin is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turpin
    • Maroa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Macoupin County
    • Virden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Mason City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Natrona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Natrona is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • Athens
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Croft
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
    • Greenview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Petersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Tallula
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dawson, with the one closest to Dawson listed first.
    • White Oak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Farmersville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Morgan County
    • Prentice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
  • Shelby County
    • Moweaqua
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Dawson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dawson.

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

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

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

  • Mallory Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Martin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Buffalo Hart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Mechanicsburg Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Cass Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Ladysmith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Pickerell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Constant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Bice Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Wolf Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Camp Butler National Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (269 more) ...

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Dawson had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Dawson had a population of 478 people.

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

  • Buffalo
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Barclay
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Barclay is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
  • Mechanicsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Buffalo Hart
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
  • Spaulding
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Spaulding is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 836 people
  • Riverton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lanesville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lanesville is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
  • Cornland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Rochester
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Williamsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Sherman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Berry
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Berry is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Bolivia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolivia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
    • Ridgely
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Ridgely is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
    • Breckenridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Breckenridge is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckenridge

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

Newspapers Published in Dawson ...

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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dawson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dawson, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dawson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Dawson:

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 Dawson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Dawson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.