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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 Geff (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 Geff. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Geff is located in Wayne 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 Wayne County: Clay, Edwards, Hamilton, Jefferson, Marion, Richland & White.

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Geff)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Jeffersonville
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Jeffersonville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 350 people
    • Fairfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cisne
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Boyleston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Boyleston is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
    • Enterprise
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Enterprise is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Johnsonville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rinard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Sims
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Erie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnhill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Wayne City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Golden Gate
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Camp Travis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Camp Travis is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Travis
    • Flora
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Kenner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Kenner is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
    • Clay City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Xenia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Sailor Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Louisville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Ingraham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Iola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Edwards County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Bennington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Bennington is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
    • Ellery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Maple Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Maple Grove is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Marion
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Marion is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • Albion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Red Top
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Red Top is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
    • Bone Gap
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • West Salem
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • West Salem is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
    • Browns
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Mills Prairie is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills Prairie
  • Franklin County
    • Frisco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Frisco is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Belle Prairie City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Belle Prairie City is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
    • Bungay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Bungay is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bungay
    • Piopolis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Piopolis is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piopolis
    • Jefferson City ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jefferson City is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
    • Dahlgren
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lovilla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lovilla is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovilla
    • Diamond City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Diamond City is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
    • McLeansboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Flint
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Flint is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Shields
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Shields is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
    • Markham City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Markham City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham City
    • Bluford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Pigeon ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Pigeon is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Marlow
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Marlow is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
    • Belle Rive
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Opdyke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Summersville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Summersville is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summersville
    • Texico
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Dix
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Dix is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dix
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dix <1>
    • Idlewood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Idlewood is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewood
    • Mount Vernon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Hickory Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Hickory Hill is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
    • Union Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Union Town is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Town
    • Iuka
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bannister
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bannister is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannister
    • Omega
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Omega is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
    • Kell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cartter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cartter is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartter
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Wynoose
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wynoose is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
    • Gallagher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Gallagher is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
    • Noble
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Parkersburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Calhoun
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Passport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Passport is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passport
    • Olney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Olney is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olney <1>
    • Berryville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Berryville is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Wakefield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Wakefield is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield
    • Claremont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wabash County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Bellmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Keensburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Lancaster
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Lancaster is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
  • White County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Geff, with the one closest to Geff listed first.
    • Mill Shoals
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Burnt Prairie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Springerton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Enfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Grayville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Calvin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Calvin is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
    • Crossville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Carmi
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Phillipstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Phillipstown is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Stokes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Stokes is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes

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

Cemeteries Near Geff ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Geff.

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

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

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

  • Jeffersonville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Cambell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Buckeye Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Bovee Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Victory Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Young Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Curry Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Shaeffer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hearn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Posey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Maple Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Nunn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (464 more) ...
    • Cisne Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Vernon Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Stine Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Geff had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Jeffersonville
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jeffersonville is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 350 people
  • Fairfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Boyleston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Boyleston is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
  • Cisne
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Enterprise
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Enterprise is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
  • Hubbard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Hubbard is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard
  • Merriam
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Merriam is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merriam
  • Johnsonville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Sims
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Rinard
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Mount Erie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Wayne City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Golden Gate
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mill Shoals
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Keenes
      (14 miles [22.5 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 Geff. See our List of 1890's Communities around Geff.

Newspapers Published in Geff ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Geff.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Geff, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Geff.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Geff:

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 Geff, 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- Geff) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.