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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 Downs (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 Downs. 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 hospitals 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.

Downs is located in McLean 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 McLean County: Champaign, De Witt, Ford, Livingston, Logan, Piatt, Tazewell & Woodford.

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

  • McLean County     (The home county of Downs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Gillum
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillum
      • Gillum is located in McLean County
    • Bloomington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Le Roy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Le Roy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Le Roy
      • Le Roy is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Le Roy <1>
    • Heyworth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heyworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heyworth
      • Heyworth is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,869 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heyworth <1>
    • Merna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merna
      • Merna is located in McLean County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merna <1>
    • Ellsworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Ellsworth is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellsworth <1>
    • Normal
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Shirley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shirley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
      • Shirley is located in McLean County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shirley <1>
    • Towanda
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Towanda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towanda
      • Towanda is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Towanda <1>
    • Yuton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuton
      • Yuton is located in McLean County
    • Cooksville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Arrowsmith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arrowsmith have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowsmith
      • Arrowsmith is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arrowsmith <1>
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Lotus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
      • Lotus is located in Champaign County
    • Foosland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Fisher
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fisher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
    • Lake of the Woods
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake of the Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
      • Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
    • Mahomet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mahomet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahomet
      • Mahomet is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,968 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mahomet <1>
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Wapella
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Watkins
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
    • Birkbeck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Birkbeck. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
      • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
    • De Witt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • De Witt is located in De Witt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Fullerton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
    • Parnell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
      • Parnell is located in De Witt County
    • Farmer City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Waynesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Clinton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Clinton is located in De Witt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,733 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <1>
    • Lane
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Weldon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Hallsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
      • Hallsville is located in De Witt County
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Proctor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Proctor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
    • Garber
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Garber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
      • Garber is located in Ford County
    • Gibson City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
      • Gibson City is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
      • Gibson City has also been known as:
      • Gibson
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <1>
    • Sibley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sibley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
      • Sibley is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sibley <1>
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Atlanta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,582 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <1>
    • Beason
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Lawndale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawndale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawndale
      • Lawndale is located in Logan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawndale <1>
    • Evans
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
      • Evans is located in Logan County
    • Chestnut
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Logan County
    • Lincoln
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hartsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsburg
      • Hartsburg is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartsburg <1>
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Maroa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Argenta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argenta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argenta
      • Argenta is located in Macon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 867 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Argenta <1>
  • Piatt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • De Land
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Mansfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mansfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield
      • Mansfield is located in Piatt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 939 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mansfield <1>
    • Cisco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
      • Cisco is located in Piatt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 242 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisco <1>
    • White Heath
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Heath have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Heath
      • White Heath is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Heath <1>
    • Monticello
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monticello have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
      • Monticello is located in Piatt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,557 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monticello <1>
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Lilly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
      • Lilly is located in Tazewell County
    • Armington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Minier
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Tazewell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tazewell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County
    • Burt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt
      • Burt is located in Tazewell County
    • Fravert ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fravert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fravert
      • Fravert is located in Tazewell County
    • Mindale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mindale
      • Mindale is located in Tazewell County
    • Richmond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Richmond. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Richmond is located in Tazewell County
    • Sutter ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • 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 Tazewell County
    • Walnut
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Walnut. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
      • Walnut is located in Tazewell County
    • Mackinaw
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackinaw
      • Mackinaw is located in Tazewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
      • Former name for Mackinaw:
      • Mackinawtown
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mackinaw <1>
    • Hopedale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Downs, with the one closest to Downs listed first.
    • Kappa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
      • Kappa is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • Congerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Congerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congerville
      • Congerville is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 494 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Congerville <1>
    • El Paso
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Paso have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Paso
      • El Paso is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,700 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Paso <1>
    • Goodfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodfield
      • Goodfield is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 986 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goodfield <1>
    • Secor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Secor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secor
      • Secor is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Secor <1>
    • Panola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Panola is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Eureka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,232 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eureka <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Downs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Downs.

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

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

  • Diamond Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Diamond Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Diamond Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bishop Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bishop Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bishop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hopewell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hopewell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hopewell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Diamond Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Diamond Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Diamond Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stewart Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Rutledge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Rutledge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Rutledge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rutledge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rutledge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rutledge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lebo Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lebo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lebo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blooming Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blooming Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blooming Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (248 more) ...
    • Price Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Price Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Price Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • County Farm Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Farm Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Grassy Ridge Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grassy Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grassy Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 Downs had a population of 200 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Downs had a population of 949 people.

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

  • Gillum
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillum
    • Gillum is located in McLean County
  • Brokaw
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brokaw have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
    • Brokaw is located in McLean County
  • Randolph
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randolph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
    • Randolph is located in McLean County
  • Hendrix
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hendrix have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
    • Hendrix is located in McLean County
  • Holder
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holder
    • Holder is located in McLean County
  • Heyworth
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heyworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heyworth
    • Heyworth is located in McLean County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,869 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heyworth <1>
  • Le Roy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Le Roy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Le Roy
    • Le Roy is located in McLean County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,498 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Le Roy <1>
  • Padua
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Padua have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padua
    • Padua is located in McLean County
  • Bloomington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Barnes
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
    • Barnes is located in McLean County
  • Merna
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merna
    • Merna is located in McLean County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merna <1>
  • Ellsworth
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
    • Ellsworth is located in McLean County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellsworth <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Normal
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Shirley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shirley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
      • Shirley is located in McLean County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shirley <1>
    • Solomon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solomon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solomon
      • Solomon is located in De Witt County

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

Newspapers Published in Downs ...

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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Downs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Downs, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Downs.

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 either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

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

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

The official website for McLean County: www.mclean.gov/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

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 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.
<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 Downs, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Downs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Downs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.3993, Longitude: -88.8912       In this case, the coordinates for Downs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025