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 Independence (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 Independence. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Independence is located in Pike 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 Pike County: Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Greene, Morgan, Scott, Marion (MO), Pike (MO) & Ralls (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Independence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Independence:
- Pike County (The home county of Independence)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Martinsburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Martinsburg is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Time
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Time is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Time
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- Pittsfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Nebo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Summer Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Summer Hill is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer Hill
- Milton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Straut
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Straut is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straut
- Pleasant Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Detroit
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Detroit is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Atlas
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Atlas is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
- Pearl
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bedford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Beverly
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Beverly is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
- Plainville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kellerville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Kellerville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellerville
- Liberty
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Versailles
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Gilbirds
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Gilbirds is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
- Hersman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hersman is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Belleview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Belleview is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
- Cliffdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cliffdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffdale
- Mozier
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Kampsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hamburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Michael
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hardin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gilead
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Gilead is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- Star City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Star City is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Hillview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Patterson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Wilmington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Wilmington is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Walkerville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Walkerville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerville
- White Hall
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Eldred
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Roodhouse
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Belltown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Belltown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belltown
- Woody
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Woody is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woody
- Carrollton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- East Hardin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- East Hardin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hardin
- Wrights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jersey County
- Spankey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Spankey is located in Jersey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spankey
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Meredosia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lynnville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lynnville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Morgan City ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Chapin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Murrayville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Concord
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Woodson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Glasgow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Glasgow is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Oxville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oxville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxville
- Naples
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Alsey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Winchester
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Bluffs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Exeter
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Exeter is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Manchester
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lincoln County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Elsberry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Whiteside
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Whiteside is located in Lincoln County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
- New Hope
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- New Hope is located in Lincoln County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Auburn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Auburn is located in Lincoln County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Louisville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Louisville is located in Lincoln County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisville
- Marion County (MO)
- Cave City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Cave City is located in Marion County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave City
- Pike County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Clarksville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Louisiana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Annada
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Annada is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annada
- Population from the 2020 Census: 28 people
- Calumet
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Calumet is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
- Paynesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Paynesville is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
- Ashburn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Ashburn is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashburn
- Population from the 2010 Census: 52 people
- Sledd
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Sledd is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sledd
- Cyrene
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cyrene is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyrene
- Eolia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Tarrants
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Tarrants is located in Pike County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarrants
- Population from the 2010 Census: 22 people
- Bowling Green
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Frankford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Ralls County (MO)
- Saverton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Saverton is located in Ralls County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saverton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Independence, see our County-by-County Page for Independence.
Cemeteries Near Independence ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Independence.
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 Independence - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Independence covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Watson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Burbridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Johnson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Daniels Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Gray Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Petty Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Holford Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Kent Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Goodin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lowder Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Waggoner Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Barnd Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (492 more) ...
- Willard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Wills Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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 Independence in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Independence.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Martinsburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Martinsburg is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Time
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Time is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Time
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- Pittsfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Nebo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Summer Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Summer Hill is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summer Hill
- Pleasant Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Straut
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Straut is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straut
- Milton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- New Hartford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Hartford is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hartford
- Detroit
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Detroit is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Atlas
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Atlas is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
- Pearl
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Bedford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Montezuma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Montezuma is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Florence
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Florence is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Independence. See our List of 1890's Communities around Independence.
Newspapers Published in Independence ...
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 133 newspapers that have been published in the area around Independence.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Independence, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Independence.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Independence:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Pike County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Brown County
- Calhoun County
- Greene County
- Jersey County
- Morgan County
- Scott County
- Lincoln County
- Marion County
- Pike County
- Ralls 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> | 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 Independence, 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- Independence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |