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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 Elizabethtown (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 Elizabethtown. 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 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.

Elizabethtown is located in Hardin County and is the County Seat.

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 Hardin County: Gallatin, Pope, Saline, Crittenden (KY), Livingston (KY) & Union (KY).

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

  • Hardin County     (The home county of Elizabethtown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Mineral City ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mineral City is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
    • Rosiclare
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Shetlerville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Shetlerville is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shetlerville
    • Cave-In-Rock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Cave-In-Rock is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave-In-Rock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
      • Cave-In-Rock has also been known as:
      • Cave-In-Rock village
    • Rock Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rock Creek is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Karbers Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Lamb
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lamb is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamb
    • Saline Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Saline Landing is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline Landing
  • Gallatin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Bowlesville ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Bowlesville is located in Gallatin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlesville
    • Equality
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Junction
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Lawler
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Lawler is located in Gallatin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawler
    • Shawneetown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Old Shawneetown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Old Shawneetown is located in Gallatin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Shawneetown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
    • Ridgway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Elba
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Elba is located in Gallatin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
    • Inman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Inman is located in Gallatin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
    • Omaha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Reevesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Reevesville is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reevesville
    • Grantsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Simpson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Ozark
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Reynoldsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Reynoldsburg is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsburg
    • Wartrace
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Wartrace is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartrace
    • New Burnside
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Massac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Big Bay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Big Bay is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
    • Shady Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Shady Grove is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
    • Unionville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Unionville is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
    • New Columbia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • New Columbia is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
    • Brookport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Metropolis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Leisure City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Leisure City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure City
    • Lusk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Lusk is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lusk
    • Hartsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartsville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • Herod
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Golconda
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Oak
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
    • Eddyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Bay City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Bay City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
    • Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Rock is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Glendale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Glendale is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Dixon Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Dixon Springs is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
    • McCormick
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • McCormick is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCormick
    • Hamletsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Mitchellsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Mitchellsville is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellsville
    • Cottage Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Cottage Grove is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
    • Gaskins City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gaskins City is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaskins City
    • Red Bud ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Red Bud is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bud
    • Harrisburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Ledford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Ledford is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledford
    • Liberty
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Liberty is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Buena Vista
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Buena Vista is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Carrier Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Muddy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Stonefort
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Wasson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wasson is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasson
    • Eldorado
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Caldwell County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Fredonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Creswell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Creswell is located in Caldwell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
    • Crider
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Crider is located in Caldwell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crider
    • Dulaney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Dulaney is located in Caldwell County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dulaney
  • Crittenden County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Tolu
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Tolu is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolu
    • Sheridan
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Sheridan is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Marion
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Marion is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,850 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Crayne
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Crayne is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crayne
    • Piney Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Piney Fork is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Fork
    • Dycusburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Dycusburg is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dycusburg
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 26 people
  • Livingston County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Carrsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Carrsville is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
    • Lola
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Lola is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola
    • Hampton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Hampton is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Salem
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Salem is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 717 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
    • Burna
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Burna is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burna
    • Pinckneyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Pinckneyville is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
    • Tiline
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Tiline is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiline
    • Smithland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lake City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Lake City is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Ledbetter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Grand Rivers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lyon County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Eddyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairview is located in Lyon County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Kuttawa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Marshall County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Calvert City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Calvert City is located in Marshall County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvert City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,509 people
      • Calvert City has also been known as:
      • Calvert
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calvert City <1>
    • Gilbertsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • McCracken County (KY)
    • Paducah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
  • Union County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Dekoven
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dekoven is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dekoven
    • Grangertown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Grangertown is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grangertown
    • Sturgis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Sturgis is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,792 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <1>
    • Sullivan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Sullivan is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
    • Raleigh
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Raleigh is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
    • Morganfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Chapman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Chapman is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
    • Breckinridge Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Breckinridge Center is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckinridge Center
    • Flournoy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Flournoy is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flournoy
    • Uniontown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Uniontown is located in Union County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
  • Webster County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elizabethtown, with the one closest to Elizabethtown listed first.
    • Blackford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Blackford is located in Webster County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackford
    • West Wheatcroft
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • West Wheatcroft is located in Webster County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Wheatcroft
    • Wheatcroft
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Wheatcroft is located in Webster County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatcroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Clay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Clay is located in Webster County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,091 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clay <1>
    • Free Union
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Free Union is located in Webster County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Free Union
    • Providence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Elizabethtown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elizabethtown.

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

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

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

  • Elizabethtown Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Price Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Empire Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Wallace Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Dixon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Stone Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Critchlow Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hardin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Cowsert Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Shephard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Peters Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Twitchell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (486 more) ...
    • Cowsert Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Soward Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Troutman Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Elizabethtown had a population of 652 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Elizabethtown had a population of 272 people.

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

  • Rosiclare
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Tolu
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Tolu is located in Crittenden County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolu
  • Peters Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Peters Creek is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
  • Carrsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Carrsville is located in Livingston County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
  • Irma
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Irma is located in Crittenden County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irma
  • Shetlerville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Shetlerville is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shetlerville
  • Cave-In-Rock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Cave-In-Rock is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave-In-Rock
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
    • Cave-In-Rock has also been known as:
    • Cave-In-Rock village
  • Hicks
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hicks is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks
  • Rock Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock Creek is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
  • Sheridan
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Sheridan is located in Crittenden County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
  • Lola
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Lola is located in Livingston County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola
  • Sparks Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Sparks Hill is located in Hardin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparks Hill
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Lusk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Lusk is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lusk
    • Karbers Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Golconda
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Elizabethtown ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elizabethtown.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Elizabethtown. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Elizabethtown and those printed in the larger area surrounding Elizabethtown.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<3> of Elizabethtown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Elizabethtown:

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>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 Elizabethtown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Elizabethtown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.