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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 Grayville (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 Grayville. 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.

Grayville is primarily located in White County. A portion of Grayville extends into Edwards 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 White County: Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline, Wayne, Gibson (IN) & Posey (IN).

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

  • White County     (The home county of Grayville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Calvin
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Calvin is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
    • Phillipstown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Phillipstown is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Crossville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Carmi
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Burnt Prairie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Maunie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Mill Shoals
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Emma
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Springerton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Enfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Herald
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Stokes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Stokes is located in White County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
    • Norris City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Edwards County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Albion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Browns
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Red Top
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Red Top is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
    • Ellery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bone Gap
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Mills Prairie is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills Prairie
    • West Salem
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • West Salem is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
    • Bennington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bennington is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
    • Maple Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Maple Grove is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Marion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Marion is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
  • Gallatin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • New Haven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Inman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Inman is located in Gallatin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
    • Omaha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Hamilton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Bungay
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Bungay is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bungay
    • Jefferson City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jefferson City is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
    • Belle Prairie City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Belle Prairie City is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Petersburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Helena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Helena is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Saint Francisville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Berryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Berryville is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Parkersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Wynoose
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Wynoose is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
    • Calhoun
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gallagher
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Gallagher is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
  • Wabash County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Keensburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Carmel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Patton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Patton is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
    • Lancaster
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Lancaster is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
    • Adams Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Adams Corner is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
    • Orio
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Orio is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orio
    • Allendale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Golden Gate
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Barnhill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Fairfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Erie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Geff
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jeffersonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jeffersonville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 350 people
    • Boyleston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Boyleston is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
    • Enterprise
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Enterprise is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Cisne
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sims
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Gibson County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Mounts
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Mounts is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounts
    • Owensville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Fort Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Haubstadt
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Princeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Patoka
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Patoka is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 784 people
    • Warrenton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Warrenton is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenton
    • Douglas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Douglas is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
    • Hazleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Francisco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Francisco is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
  • Knox County (IN)
    • Beal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Beal is located in Knox County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal
  • Posey County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Griffin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Griffin is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Barrett
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Barrett is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrett
    • New Harmony
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Stewartsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Stewartsville is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartsville
    • Poseyville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Wadesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cynthiana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Savah
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Savah is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savah
    • Hepburn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hepburn is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepburn
    • Oliver
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Oliver is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
    • Springfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Springfield is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
    • Solitude
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Solitude is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solitude
    • Blairsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Blairsville is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
  • Vanderburgh County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Martin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Martin is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
    • Armstrong
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Armstrong is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
    • Stacer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Stacer is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacer
    • Darmstadt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Darmstadt is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darmstadt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
    • Inglefield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Kasson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kasson is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
    • Highland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Highland is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • McCutchanville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • McCutchanville is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCutchanville
    • Daylight
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Daylight is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daylight
    • Cypress
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Cypress is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress
    • Evansville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Evansville is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 118,407 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evansville <1>
    • Melody Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Melody Hill is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melody Hill
  • Warrick County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Grayville, with the one closest to Grayville listed first.
    • Wheatonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Wheatonville is located in Warrick County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatonville
    • Elberfeld
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Henderson County (KY)
    • White City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • White City is located in Henderson County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City

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

Cemeteries Near Grayville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grayville.

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

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Coles Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Jacobs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Union Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Calvin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Gravet Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Wheeler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Fortney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (380 more) ...
    • James Hean Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mt. Zion 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Grayville had a population of 1,999 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Grayville had a population of 1,543 people.

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

  • Calvin
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Calvin is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
  • Cowling
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Cowling is located in Wabash County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowling
  • Griffin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Griffin is located in Posey County (IN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
  • Crossville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Phillipstown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Phillipstown is located in White County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
  • Barrett
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Barrett is located in Posey County (IN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrett
  • Red Top
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Red Top is located in Edwards County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
  • Albion
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Browns
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • New Harmony
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Keensburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Stewartsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Stewartsville is located in Posey County (IN)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartsville
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Bellmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Maud
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Maud is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maud

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Grayville ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grayville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Grayville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Grayville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Grayville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3> of Grayville.

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 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 Grayville:

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