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 Joy Prairie (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 Joy Prairie. 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 Joy Prairie ...
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 Joy Prairie: Joy Pr.
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 doctors 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.
Joy Prairie is located in Morgan 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 Morgan County: Brown, Cass, Greene, Macoupin, Pike, Sangamon & Scott.
Below are the counties that are near Joy Prairie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Joy Prairie:
- Morgan County (The home county of Joy Prairie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Arcadia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Concord
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jacksonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Chapin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Literberry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- South Jacksonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Jacksonville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jacksonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,075 people
- Lynnville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Lynnville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Morgan City ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Arnold
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arnold is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
- Woodson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Pisgah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Alexander
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Meredosia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Cooperstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cooperstown is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
- Versailles
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Gilbirds
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Gilbirds is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
- Ripley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ripley is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Hersman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hersman is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
- Mount Sterling
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Arenzville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Old Princeton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Old Princeton is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Princeton
- Hagener
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hagener is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
- Burlingame
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Burlingame is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
- Jules
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Jules is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
- Virginia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Philadelphia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Philadelphia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Bluff Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Gurney ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gurney is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
- Ashland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Beardstown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sylvan ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Sylvan is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
- Fulton County
- Astoria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Roodhouse
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Patterson
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Wilmington
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Wilmington is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- White Hall
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hillview
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Belltown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Belltown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belltown
- Wrights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Walkerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Walkerville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerville
- Greenfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Macoupin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Scottville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Modesto
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Palmyra
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Snicarte
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Snicarte is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
- White City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- White City is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Bath
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kilbourne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Menard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Tallula
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oakford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Petersburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Florence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Florence is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36 people
- Chambersburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Valley City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Valley City is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14 people
- Bedford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Detroit
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Detroit is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Detroit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Griggsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Perry
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Milton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Time
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Time is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Time
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- Pearl
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pittsfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- New Salem is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
- Sangamon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- New Berlin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Plains
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Berlin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Berlin is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Maxwell ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Pasfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
- Loami
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Salisbury
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Salisbury is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
- Curran
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Curran is located in Sangamon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Lowder
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Schuyler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Frederick
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Browning
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bader
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Bader is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
- Bluff City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Rushville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Scott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Exeter
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Exeter is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exeter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Bluffs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Winchester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Oxville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Oxville is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxville
- Manchester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Naples
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Alsey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Glasgow
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Glasgow is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Joy Prairie, see our County-by-County Page for Joy Prairie.
Cemeteries Near Joy Prairie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Joy Prairie.
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 Joy Prairie - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Joy Prairie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Caldwell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Wood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Morgan County Poor Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Morgan County Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mt. Zion Lutheran Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Smith Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Woodward Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Chapin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Angel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (517 more) ...
- Hazel Green Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Arcadia Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Vernon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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 Joy Prairie in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Joy Prairie.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Joy Prairie, with the one closest to Joy Prairie listed first.
- Markham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Markham is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham
- Arcadia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Concord
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Chapin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jacksonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Literberry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Bethel is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Morgan City ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Morgan City is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
- Merritt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Merritt is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merritt
- Lynnville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Lynnville is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Arenzville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Little Indian
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Little Indian is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Indian
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Riggston
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Riggston is located in Scott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riggston
- Arnold
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arnold is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
- Sinclair
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Sinclair is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinclair
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Joy Prairie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Joy Prairie.
Newspapers Published in Joy Prairie ...
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 129 newspapers that have been published in the area around Joy Prairie.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Joy Prairie, 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 Joy Prairie.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Joy Prairie:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Morgan County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Brown County
- Cass County
- Fulton County
- Greene County
- Macoupin County
- Mason County
- Menard County
- Pike County
- Sangamon County
- Schuyler County
- Scott 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 Joy Prairie, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Joy Prairie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |