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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 Island 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 Island 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 Island 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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Island Grove: Island Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Island Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Island 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 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.

Island Grove is located in Sangamon 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 Sangamon County: Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery & Morgan.

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

  • Sangamon County     (The home county of Island Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • New Berlin
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Berlin
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Berlin is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
    • Maxwell ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Loami
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Pasfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
    • Curran
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Curran is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Pleasant Plains
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lowder
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Chatham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Woodside
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Woodside is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
    • Salisbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Salisbury is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Auburn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Ashland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Gurney ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Gurney is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
    • Old Princeton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Old Princeton is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Princeton
    • Philadelphia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Burlingame
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Burlingame is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Newmansville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Virginia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jules
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jules is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
    • Arenzville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Chandlerville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hagener
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hagener is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Zenobia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
    • Tovey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Tovey is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tovey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tovey <1>
    • Bulpitt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Edinburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Kincaid
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Roodhouse
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wrights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • White Hall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Modesto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Virden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Scottville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Palmyra
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Girard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Nilwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Hettick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Standard City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Standard City is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Comer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Comer is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comer
    • Hagaman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Hagaman is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagaman
    • Carlinville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • White City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • White City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Kilbourne
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Tallula
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Petersburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Athens
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Greenview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Croft
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Farmersville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • White Oak
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Waggoner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Alexander
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Franklin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Waverly
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Pisgah
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Pisgah is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Arnold
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Arnold is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
    • Prentice
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Jacksonville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • South Jacksonville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • South Jacksonville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jacksonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,075 people
    • Literberry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcadia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Murrayville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Island Grove, with the one closest to Island Grove listed first.
    • Manchester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Alsey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Winchester
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Exeter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Exeter is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
    • Glasgow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Glasgow is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
    • Bluffs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Island Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Island 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 Island Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Wilcox Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Foutch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Island Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Luken Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Berlin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hodgerson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Little York Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Little Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Smyrna Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (418 more) ...
    • Staley Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sulphur Springs Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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 Island Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Island Grove.

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

  • New Berlin
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Berlin
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Berlin is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
  • Alexander
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Maxwell ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Bates
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Bates is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates
  • Loami
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Orleans
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Orleans is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
  • Pasfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
  • Franklin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Pisgah
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Pisgah is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Waverly
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Arnold
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Arnold is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Prentice
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Curran
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Curran is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
    • Farmingdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Farmingdale is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmingdale

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

Newspapers Published in Island 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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Island Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Island Grove, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Island Grove.

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 Island Grove:

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 Island Grove, 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- Island Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.