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 Golden (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 Golden. 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.
Golden is located in Adams 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 Adams County: Brown, Hancock, Pike, Schuyler, Lewis (MO) & Marion (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Golden. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Golden:
- Adams County (The home county of Golden)
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- La Prairie
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Blacks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blacks is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacks
- Camp Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Clayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coatsburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Columbus
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Columbus is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
- Paloma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Loraine
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Kellerville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Kellerville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerville
- Fowler
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mendon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Liberty
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Burton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Burton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Mound Station
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mound Station is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Timewell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Sterling
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hersman
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hersman is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
- Ripley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Ripley is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Gilbirds
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gilbirds is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
- Cooperstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Cooperstown is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
- Versailles
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Bowen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Augusta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chili
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Chili is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chili
- Plymouth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- West Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- West Point is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
- Bentley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bentley is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
- Basco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sutter
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sutter is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutter
- Carthage
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Joetta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Joetta is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
- Elvaston
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Fountain Green
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
- Ferris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- McDonough County
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Colmar
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Colmar is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
- Doddsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Doddsville is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
- Tennessee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- VIshnu Springs is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for VIshnu Springs
- Colchester
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Industry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- East Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- East Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Lamone Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
- Macomb
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- University Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- University Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Perry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Baylis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chambersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Barry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hadley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hadley is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadley
- Kinderhook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hull
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- New Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- New Salem is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
- Spencer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Spencer is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Schuyler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Huntsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Camden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Wayland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Wayland is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Littleton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rushville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Keokuk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Clark County (MO)
- Alexandria
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lewis County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- La Grange
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Canton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Marion County (MO)
- Taylor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Golden, see our County-by-County Page for Golden.
Cemeteries Near Golden ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Golden.
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 Golden - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Golden covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Lutheran Friedhof Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Memorial Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Wallace Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hebron Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Meints Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Leenerts Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Horeb Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- York Neck Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Walker Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (480 more) ...
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wallace Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- South Side Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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 Golden had a population of 466 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Golden had a population of 611 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Golden, with the one closest to Golden listed first.
- Chatton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Chatton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatton
- La Prairie
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Blacks
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blacks is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacks
- Camp Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Clayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bowen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Coatsburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Huntsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Augusta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Columbus
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Columbus is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
- Mound Station
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mound Station is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Woodville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Woodville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Paloma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stillwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stillwell is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stillwell
- Loraine
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Golden. See our List of 1890's Communities around Golden.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Golden ...
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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Golden.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Golden. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Golden and those printed in the larger area surrounding Golden.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Golden.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Golden:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Adams County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Brown County
- Hancock County
- McDonough County
- Pike County
- Schuyler County
- Lee County
- Clark County
- Lewis County
- Marion County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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 Golden, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Golden) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |