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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 Iola (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 Iola. 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 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.

Iola is located in Clay County.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Clay County: Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Richland & Wayne.

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

  • Clay County     (The home county of Iola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Louisville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisville
      • Louisville is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,087 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisville <2>
    • Kenner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kenner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
      • Kenner is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kenner
      • From Iola to Kenner
    • Xenia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Flora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Ingraham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Sailor Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sailor Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sailor Springs
      • Sailor Springs is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sailor Springs <2>
    • Clay City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Camp Travis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgewood <2>
    • Mason
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Gilmore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilmore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
      • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gilmore
      • From Iola to Gilmore
    • Watson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 732 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
    • Heartville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Altamont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
      • Altamont is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altamont <2>
    • Dexter
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dexter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
      • Dexter is located in Effingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dexter
      • From Iola to Dexter
    • Funkhouser
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Effingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Dieterich
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Moccasin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Teutopolis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Shumway
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shumway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumway
      • Shumway is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shumway <2>
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • La Clede
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Farina
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farina. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farina
      • Farina is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farina <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farina
      • From Iola to Farina
    • Saint Peter
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Peter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Peter
      • Saint Peter is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Peter <2>
    • Loogootee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loogootee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loogootee
      • Loogootee is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loogootee <2>
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howards Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
      • Howards Point is located in Fayette County
    • Saint Elmo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
      • Saint Elmo is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,367 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Elmo <2>
    • Saint Paul
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saint Paul. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
      • Saint Paul is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Saint Paul
      • From Iola to Saint Paul
    • Avena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
      • Avena is located in Fayette County
    • Brownstown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
      • Brownstown is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownstown <2>
    • Bluff City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Fayette County
    • Shobonier
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shobonier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shobonier
      • Shobonier is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shobonier <2>
    • Vandalia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
      • Vandalia is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,662 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vandalia <2>
    • Holliday
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Bogota
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Wheeler
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheeler <2>
    • Lis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lis
      • Lis is located in Jasper County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lis
      • From Iola to Lis
    • Newton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,818 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <2>
    • West Liberty
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
      • West Liberty is located in Jasper County
    • Falmouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Shields
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
      • Shields is located in Jefferson County
    • Texico
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Texico have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Texico
      • Texico is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Texico <2>
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Omega
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Omega. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
      • Omega is located in Marion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Omega
      • From Iola to Omega
    • Kinmundy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Alma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <2>
    • Iuka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iuka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iuka
      • Iuka is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 462 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iuka <2>
    • Bannister
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bannister. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannister
      • Bannister is located in Marion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bannister
      • From Iola to Bannister
    • Union Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Town
      • Union Town is located in Marion County
    • Salem
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hickory Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hickory Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hill
      • Hickory Hill is located in Marion County
    • Vernon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
      • Vernon is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vernon <2>
    • Cartter
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Patoka
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Fairman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Kell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kell
      • Kell is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kell <2>
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Passport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Passport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passport
      • Passport is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Passport
      • From Iola to Passport
    • Wakefield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Noble
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noble have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
      • Noble is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noble <2>
    • Wynoose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wynoose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
      • Wynoose is located in Richland County
    • Gallagher
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gallagher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
      • Gallagher is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gallagher
      • From Iola to Gallagher
    • Dundas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundas
      • Dundas is located in Richland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundas <2>
    • Olney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Sigel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Stewardson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewardson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewardson
      • Stewardson is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stewardson <2>
    • Fancher
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fancher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
      • Fancher is located in Shelby County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fancher
      • From Iola to Fancher
    • Mode
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iola, with the one closest to Iola listed first.
    • Rinard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Johnsonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Cisne
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisne
      • Cisne is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisne <2>
    • Enterprise
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enterprise. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
      • Enterprise is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enterprise
      • From Iola to Enterprise
    • Geff
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geff
      • Geff is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geff <2>
    • Jeffersonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Erie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Iola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Iola.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Iola Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iola Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iola Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rodgers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rodgers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rodgers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woods Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woods Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woods Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riffle Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riffle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riffle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Newton Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newton Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newton Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fender Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fender Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fender Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Littleton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Littleton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Littleton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Keen Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keen Chapel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keen Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Christian Home Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Christian Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Christian Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Price Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Price Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Price Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (453 more) ...
    • Negro Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Negro Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Negro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oskaloosa Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oskaloosa Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oskaloosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Speaks Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Speaks Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Speaks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Iola had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Iola had a population of 134 people.

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

  • Riffle
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riffle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riffle
    • Riffle is located in Clay County
  • Oskaloosa
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oskaloosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oskaloosa
    • Oskaloosa is located in Clay County
  • La Clede
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Edgewood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
    • Edgewood is located in Effingham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 427 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgewood <2>
  • Hord
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hord have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hord
    • Hord is located in Clay County
  • Louisville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisville
    • Louisville is located in Clay County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,087 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisville <2>
  • Farina
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farina. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farina
    • Farina is located in Fayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farina <2>
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Farina
    • From Iola to Farina
  • Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill
    • Hill is located in Effingham County
  • Mason
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Bible Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bible Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bible Grove
    • Bible Grove is located in Clay County
  • Gilmore
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilmore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
    • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Gilmore
    • From Iola to Gilmore
  • Eberle
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eberle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eberle
    • Eberle is located in Effingham County
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Iola ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Iola.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Iola, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Iola.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Iola:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Iola. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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 Iola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Iola) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Iola. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8344, Longitude: -88.6271    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025