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

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

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

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

Ellis is located in Christian 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 Christian County: Macon, Montgomery, Sangamon & Shelby.

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

  • Christian County     (The home county of Ellis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Tovey
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Zenobia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
    • Bulpitt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jeisyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Kincaid
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Edinburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Langleyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Sharpsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Clarksdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Palmer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Taylorville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Morrisonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Bolivia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bolivia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Cornland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lake Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Elkhart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Blue Mound
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Niantic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Boody
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Macon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Harristown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Virden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Girard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Nilwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Standard City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Standard City is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Modesto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Palmyra
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Carlinville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Menard County
    • Athens
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • White Oak
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Farmersville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Harvel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Waggoner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Raymond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Shop Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
    • Wenonah
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Honey Bend
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • Nokomis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Ohlman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Coalton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Witt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Witt is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Witt <1>
    • Butler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Waverly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Franklin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Alexander
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Pawnee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Commanche Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Commanche Village is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commanche Village
    • New City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • New City is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • Divernon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Glenarm
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Chatham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochester
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Auburn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Woodside
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodside is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
    • Thayer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Southern View
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Southern View is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southern View
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,557 people
    • Hawthorne Place
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawthorne Place is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne Place
    • Jerome
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jerome is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
    • Moweaqua
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Oconee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Ellis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ellis.

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

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Horse Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Bethany Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Finley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Achenback Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Vigal Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Brush Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Brunk Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Breckenridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • South Fork Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (286 more) ...
    • St. Bernard Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Durbin Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Newcomer Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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 Ellis in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ellis.

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

  • Pawnee
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Zenobia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Zenobia is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
  • White Oak
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
  • New City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • New City is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
  • Divernon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Glenarm
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Pawnee Junction
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Pawnee Junction is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee Junction
  • Edinburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Breckenridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Breckenridge is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckenridge
  • Thomasville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Thomasville is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
  • Sharpsburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
  • Berry
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Berry is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cotton Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Cotton Hill is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
    • Chatham
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochester
      (11 miles [17.7 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 Ellis. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ellis.

Newspapers Published in Ellis ...

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 205 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ellis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ellis, 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 Ellis.

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 Ellis:

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