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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 Henderson (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 Henderson. 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 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.

Henderson is located in Macoupin 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 Macoupin County: Greene, Jersey, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan & Sangamon.

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

  • Macoupin County     (The home county of Henderson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • East Gillespie
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • East Gillespie is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gillespie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
    • Hornsby
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Hornsby is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
    • Gillespie
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Eagarville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Benld
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Benld is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benld
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Benld <1>
    • Mount Clare
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Mount Clare is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clare
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
    • Lake Ka-ho
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Ka-ho is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ka-ho
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
      • Lake Ka-ho has also been known as:
      • Lake Ka-Ho village
    • Sawyerville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • White City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • White City is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 230 people
    • Mount Olive
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorchester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dorchester is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
    • Wilsonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Sorento
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Reno
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Reno is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Old Ripley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Old Ripley is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
    • Pocahontas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pierron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Greenville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Smithboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Morrisonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Palmer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Zenobia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Rockbridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Greenfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kane
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Wrights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Jersey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Fidelity
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Delhi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Delhi is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • Jerseyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • McClusky
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • McClusky is located in Jersey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClusky
    • Dow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Williamson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Livingston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • New Douglas
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Prairietown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Prairietown is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairietown
    • Worden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Dorsey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Alhambra
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Hamel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Moro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bethalto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Fruit
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Fruit is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruit
    • Cottage Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Cottage Hills is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Hills
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Litchfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Honey Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • Shop Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
    • Walshville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Butler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Taylor Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Raymond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Panama
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillsboro
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Schram City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Schram City is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
    • Waggoner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Donnellson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Henderson, with the one closest to Henderson listed first.
    • Thayer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lowder
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Divernon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Auburn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Saint Charles County (MO)
    • West Alton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>

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

Cemeteries Near Henderson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Henderson.

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

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

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

  • Gillespie City Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Cahokia Holy Cross Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Kinder Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Karnes Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Wheeler Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Benld Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Holy Assumption Russian Orthodox Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Farrar Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Corr Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (393 more) ...
    • Clark Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Behme Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Prairie Lawn Memorial Garden
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<3>

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

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

  • Gillespie
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Hornsby
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Hornsby is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
  • Dorchester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorchester is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
  • Mount Olive
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Litchfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Staunton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Carlinville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Barnett
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnett is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
  • Macoupin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Macoupin is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macoupin
  • Plainview
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Bunker Hill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Walshville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Honey Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • Shop Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
    • Atwater
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Henderson ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Henderson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Henderson, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Henderson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Henderson:

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 Henderson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Henderson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.