Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Hills Grove. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Hills Grove to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Hills Grove, please Contact Us.
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 Hills Grove (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 Hills Grove. 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.
Name Variations for Hills Grove ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Hills Grove: Hills Grv.
- While the name of this community is Hills Grove, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Hills Grove may originally have been Hill's Grove.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Hills Grove might be written as Hill Grove.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Hills Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Hills Grove.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 and doctors 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Hills Grove is historic, it would have been located within present day McDonough 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 McDonough County: Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Schuyler & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Hills Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hills Grove:
- McDonough County (The home county of Hills Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Tennessee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- VIshnu Springs is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for VIshnu Springs
- Colmar
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Colmar is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
- Colchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Blandinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- East Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Lamone Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
- Macomb
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- University Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- University Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
- Sciota
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Doddsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Doddsville is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
- Industry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- La Prairie
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Golden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Blacks
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Blacks is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacks
- Loraine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Clayton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Camp Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Coatsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lima
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mendon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Paloma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Mound Station
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Mound Station is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Station
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Timewell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ripley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ripley is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Mount Sterling
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Table Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Vermont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Marietta
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ipava
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Checkrow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Checkrow is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Checkrow
- Astoria
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Avon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Smithfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Babylon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Babylon is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babylon
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Joetta
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Joetta is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
- Fountain Green
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
- Plymouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Augusta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bentley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bentley is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
- La Harpe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- La Harpe is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Harpe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,123 people
- Burnside
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Burnside is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Bowen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carthage
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Ferris
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Disco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Disco is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Disco
- Basco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Terre Haute
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
- Raritan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Raritan is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Iowa Junction
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
- Lomax
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stronghurst
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Media
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Media is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
- Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
- Carman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Olena
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Olena is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
- Schuyler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Huntsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Wayland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wayland is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Littleton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Camden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Rushville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bader
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bader is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Youngstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Youngstown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
- Roseville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Smithshire
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Des Moines County (IA)
- Patterson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Lee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Galland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Galland is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Keokuk
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Sandusky
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Sandusky is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- Fort Madison
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wever
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Buena Vista is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Montrose
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Clark County (MO)
- Alexandria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hills Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Hills Grove.
Cemeteries Near Hills Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hills Grove.
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 Hills Grove - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hills Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Hills Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Hutchinson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lower Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- White Flock Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Neese Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mt. Auburn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Moore Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Friendship Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mourning Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Dunsworth Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gibson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (456 more) ...
- Miler Grave
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Barber Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Dunkard 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.
Hills Grove itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 20 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hills Grove, with the one closest to Hills Grove listed first.
- Tennessee
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Colmar
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Colmar is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
- Saint Mary
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Mary is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
- Colchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Joetta
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Joetta is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
- Fandon
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Fandon is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fandon
- Plymouth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Fountain Green
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
- Webster
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Webster is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Birmingham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Birmingham is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Augusta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Macomb
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Blandinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Brooklyn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Brooklyn is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- La Crosse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- La Crosse is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Crosse
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hills Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hills Grove.
Newspapers Published in Hills Grove ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hills Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hills Grove, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hills Grove.
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 helpful 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 Hills Grove:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to McDonough County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Brown County
- Fulton County
- Hancock County
- Henderson County
- Schuyler County
- Warren County
- Des Moines County
- Lee County
- Clark County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Hills Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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- Hills Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |