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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 Furman (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 Furman. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Furman is located in Saint Clair 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 Saint Clair County: Clinton, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, Washington, Saint Louis City (MO) & Saint Louis (MO).

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

  • Saint Clair County     (The home county of Furman)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Fairview Heights
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Petersburg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Petersburg is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
    • O'Fallon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Caseyville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Swansea
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Swansea is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansea
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swansea <1>
    • Shiloh
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Shiloh is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shiloh <1>
    • Summit
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Summit is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Bunkum
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Bunkum is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunkum
    • French Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • French Village is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Village
    • Belleville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Gartside
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gartside is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gartside
    • Washington Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Washington Park is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,831 people
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Pierron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Pocahontas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Ripley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Old Ripley is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • New Baden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Trenton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • New Memphis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Albers
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Aviston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Damiansville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Damiansville is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damiansville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
    • Saint Rose
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Saint Rose is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Rose
    • Breese
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Germantown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Bartelso
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Beckemeyer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Staunton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Bunker Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Collinsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Maryville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Troy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Troy is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <1>
    • Pontoon Beach
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Glen Carbon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Madison
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Venice
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Granite City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Mitchell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Mitchell is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
    • Nameoki
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Nameoki is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nameoki
    • Newport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Newport is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Brooks
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Brooks is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Columbia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hecker
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Waterloo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Burksville Station
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Burksville Station is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville Station
    • Foster Pond ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Foster Pond is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Pond
    • Wartburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Wartburg is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartburg
    • Burksville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Burksville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville
    • Valmeyer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Madonnaville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Madonnaville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madonnaville
    • Monroe City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Monroe City is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
    • Maeystown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Red Bud
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Baldwin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Tilden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Venedy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Venedy is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venedy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
    • Okawville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Stone Church
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Stone Church is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone Church
    • Caspars
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Caspars is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspars
    • Addieville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarmin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Clarmin is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarmin
    • Elkton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkton is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
  • Jefferson County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Arnold
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Arnold is located in Jefferson County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arnold <1>
    • Flamm City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Flamm City is located in Jefferson County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flamm City
    • Maxville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Maxville is located in Jefferson County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxville
    • Kimmswick
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Imperial
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Barnhart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Murphy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Murphy is located in Jefferson County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy
  • Saint Charles County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • West Alton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • West Alton is located in Saint Charles County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Alton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 529 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Alton <1>
    • Portage Des Sioux
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Louis City (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Saint Louis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Baden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Baden is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
    • Carondelet
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Carondelet is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carondelet
    • Tower Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Tower Grove is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Grove
    • Cheltenham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Cheltenham is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheltenham
    • University City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • University City is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,049 people
  • Saint Louis County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Furman, with the one closest to Furman listed first.
    • Glasgow Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Glasgow Village is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow Village
    • Riverview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Riverview is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,821 people
    • Bellefontaine Neighbors
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellefontaine Neighbors is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefontaine Neighbors
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,297 people
    • Flordell Hills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Flordell Hills is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flordell Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 800 people
    • Jennings
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jennings is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,644 people
    • Moline Acres
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Moline Acres is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moline Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,339 people
    • Bella Villa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Bella Villa is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bella Villa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 721 people
    • Ivory
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Ivory is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivory
    • Lemay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Lemay is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemay
    • Pine Lawn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Pine Lawn is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Lawn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,579 people
    • Castle Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Castle Point is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Point
    • Beverly Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Beverly Hills is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 551 people

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

Cemeteries Near Furman ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Furman.

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

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

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

  • Willoughby Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Simpson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Lakeview Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Hoerath Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • O'Fallon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. Adalbert Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Messenger Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Lemen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Bethel Baptist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Kampmeyer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Clair Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Clair Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Clair Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the west of Fairview Heights.
    • The St. Clair Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • French Village Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107853 <3>
  • Continue List   (485 more) ...
    • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Mt. Hope Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenwood Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)

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 in 1895, Furman had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Caseyville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Collinsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Birkner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Birkner is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkner
  • Summit
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Summit is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
  • Shiloh
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Shiloh is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,653 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shiloh <1>
  • French Village
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • French Village is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Village
  • Gartside
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gartside is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gartside
  • Belleville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ogles
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ogles is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogles
  • Centreville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Centreville is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,844 people
  • Wilderman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Wilderman is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderman
  • Lebanon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Lebanon is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,225 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lebanon <1>
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Rentchler
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rentchler is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rentchler
    • Stallings
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stallings is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stallings
    • Troy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Troy is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Furman ...

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 619 newspapers that have been published in the area around Furman.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Furman, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Furman.

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

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

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>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- Furman) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Furman, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.