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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 Hanson (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 Hanson. 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.

Hanson is primarily located in Shelby County. A portion of Hanson extends into Fayette 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 Shelby County: Christian, Coles, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Macon, Montgomery & Moultrie.

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

  • Shelby County     (The home county of Hanson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hanson, with the one closest to Hanson listed first.
    • Oconee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Herrick
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Cowden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Lakewood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Tower Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fancher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Fancher is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
    • Mode
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Mode is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode
    • Shelbyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Stewardson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Middlesworth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth
    • Yantisville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Yantisville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville
    • Strasburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hanson, with the one closest to Hanson listed first.
    • Mulberry Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Smithboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Mound
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Pleasant Mound is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Mound
    • Greenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Reno
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Reno is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Sorento
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hanson, with the one closest to Hanson listed first.
    • Pana
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Pana is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pana <1>
    • Rosamond
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Millersville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Millersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
    • Owaneco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Assumption
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Velma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Velma is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
    • Clarksdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Morrisonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Palmer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Taylorville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandersville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Sandersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
    • Langleyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hanson, with the one closest to Hanson listed first.
    • Beecher City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Beecher City is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
    • Moccasin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
    • Altamont
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dexter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Dexter is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
    • Shumway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Gilmore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
    • Funkhouser
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hanson, with the one closest to Hanson listed first.
    • Dressor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
    • Ramsey
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Bayle City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Bayle City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayle City
    • Bingham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Holliday
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Holliday is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliday
    • Vandalia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Bluff City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Bluff City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Avena
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Avena is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
    • Brownstown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Hagarstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Howards Point is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
    • Saint Elmo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Marion County
    • Vernon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hanson, with the one closest to Hanson listed first.
    • Nokomis
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ohlman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Coalton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Wenonah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Fillmore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
    • Witt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Irving
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Coffeen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillsboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Schram City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Schram City is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
    • Taylor Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Hanson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hanson.

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

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

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

  • Shedd Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Prater Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Clark Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Tennessee Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Craig Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Casey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Ramsey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Halford Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Poland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hayes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (403 more) ...
    • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Staff Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Price Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)

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>

While we didn't find Hanson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hanson.

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

  • Dressor
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dressor is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
  • Oconee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Ramsey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Herrick
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Bayle City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Bayle City is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayle City
  • Bingham
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ohlman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Fillmore
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Rosamond
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Pana
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Pana is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pana
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pana <1>
  • Vera
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Vera is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera
  • Chapman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cowden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Lakewood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Tower Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Hanson ...

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 154 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hanson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hanson, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hanson.

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 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 Hanson:

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 Hanson, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Hanson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.