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The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





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 (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. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Joy is located in Mercer 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 Mercer County: Des Moines (IA), Louisa (IA), Henderson, Henry, Knox, Rock Island & Warren.

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

  • Mercer County     (The home county of Joy)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Aledo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aledo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aledo
      • Aledo is located in Mercer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,383 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aledo <2>
    • Petersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Petersville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersville
      • Petersville is located in Mercer County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Petersville
      • From Joy to Petersville
    • New Boston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Boston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
      • New Boston is located in Mercer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 644 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Boston <2>
    • Seaton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Keithsburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Eliza
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Sunbeam
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Marston
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marston
      • Marston is located in Mercer County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marston
      • From Joy to Marston
    • Shale City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shale City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shale City
      • Shale City is located in Mercer County
    • Burgess
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Gilchrist
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Matherville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Matherville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherville
      • Matherville is located in Mercer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 651 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Matherville <2>
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Milroy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Milroy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
      • Milroy is located in Henderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Milroy
      • From Joy to Milroy
    • Rozetta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rozetta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozetta
      • Rozetta is located in Henderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rozetta
      • From Joy to Rozetta
    • Oquawka
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Biggsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biggsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
      • Biggsville is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Gladstone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Gulf Port
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Olena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Media
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Media have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
      • Media is located in Henderson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Alpha
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
      • Alpha is located in Henry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 626 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alpha <2>
    • Ophiem
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ophiem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophiem
      • Ophiem is located in Henry County
    • Lynn Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynn Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn Center
      • Lynn Center is located in Henry County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynn Center <2>
    • Woodhull
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodhull have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodhull
      • Woodhull is located in Henry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodhull <2>
    • Orion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Rio
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
      • Rio is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rio <2>
    • Henderson Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henderson Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Grove
      • Henderson Grove is located in Knox County
    • Henderson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henderson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
      • Henderson is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henderson <2>
  • Rock Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Buffalo Prairie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Illinois City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Illinois City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinois City
      • Illinois City is located in Rock Island County
    • Edgington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edgington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgington
      • Edgington is located in Rock Island County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Edgington
      • From Joy to Edgington
    • Reynolds
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Taylor Ridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylor Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Ridge
      • Taylor Ridge is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylor Ridge <2>
    • Andalusia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Andalusia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andalusia
      • Andalusia is located in Rock Island County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Andalusia <2>
    • Coyne Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coyne Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyne Center
      • Coyne Center is located in Rock Island County
    • Oak Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Rock Island County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
    • Milan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock Island
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Coal Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coal Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
      • Coal Valley is located in Rock Island County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,719 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coal Valley <2>
    • Moline
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Little York
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little York have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little York
      • Little York is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 304 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little York <2>
    • Eleanor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eleanor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleanor
      • Eleanor is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eleanor
      • From Joy to Eleanor
    • Gerlaw
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gerlaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerlaw
      • Gerlaw is located in Warren County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gerlaw <2>
    • Shanghai City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shanghai City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai City
      • Shanghai City is located in Warren County
    • Kirkwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkwood
      • Kirkwood is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 670 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kirkwood <2>
    • Monmouth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monmouth
      • Monmouth is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,801 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monmouth <2>
    • Utah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Utah. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utah
      • Utah is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Utah
      • From Joy to Utah
    • Smithshire
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithshire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithshire
      • Smithshire is located in Warren County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smithshire <2>
    • Cameron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Surrey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Surrey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
      • Surrey is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Surrey
      • From Joy to Surrey
  • Des Moines County (IA)
  • Henry County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Mount Union
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Union have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
      • Mount Union is located in Henry County (IA)
      • Estimated population in 2017: 107 people
    • Winfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Louisa County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Oakville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
      • Oakville is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakville <2>
    • Elrick Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grandview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
      • Grandview is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 519 people
    • Wapello
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Letts
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Morning Sun
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morning Sun have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Sun
      • Morning Sun is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 781 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morning Sun <2>
    • Fredonia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
      • Fredonia is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Columbus Junction
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbus Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus Junction
      • Columbus Junction is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,810 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Columbus Junction <2>
    • Columbus City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Columbus City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus City
      • Columbus City is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 371 people
  • Muscatine County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joy, with the one closest to Joy listed first.
    • Fairport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
      • Fairport is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fairport
      • From Joy to Fairport
    • Fruitland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Midway Beach
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Pine Mills ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
      • Pine Mills is located in Muscatine County (IA)
    • Muscatine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muscatine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscatine
      • Muscatine is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,523 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Muscatine <2>
    • Pleasant Prairie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • South Towne Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Towne Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Towne Park
      • South Towne Park is located in Muscatine County (IA)
    • Stockton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
      • Stockton is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 189 people
    • Conesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Moscow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Wilton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,800 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilton <2>
    • Atalissa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Scott County (IA)

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

Cemeteries Near Joy ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Joy.

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 Joy covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Brick Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peniel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Griffith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Griffith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Griffith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Davis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Davis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Davis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mannon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mannon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mannon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shields Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shields Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shields Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Boston Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Boston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Boston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Candor Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Candor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Candor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Duncan Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duncan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duncan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buffalo Prairie Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Keithsburg Greenmound Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (334 more) ...

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Joy had a population of 80 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Joy had a population of 377 people.

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

  • Millersburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
    • Millersburg is located in Mercer County
  • Mannon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mannon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mannon
    • Mannon is located in Mercer County
  • New Boston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Boston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
    • New Boston is located in Mercer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 644 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Boston <2>
  • Ogle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogle
    • Ogle is located in Mercer County
  • Petersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Petersville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersville
    • Petersville is located in Mercer County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Petersville
    • From Joy to Petersville
  • Keithsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Seaton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Sunbeam
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Eliza
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Marston
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marston
    • Marston is located in Mercer County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Marston
    • From Joy to Marston
  • Buffalo Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Toolesboro
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toolesboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toolesboro
    • Toolesboro is located in Louisa County (IA)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Oakville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
      • Oakville is located in Louisa County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakville <2>
    • Hamlet
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
      • Hamlet is located in Mercer County
    • Milroy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Milroy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
      • Milroy is located in Henderson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Milroy
      • From Joy to Milroy

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

Newspapers Published in Joy ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Joy.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Joy, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Joy.

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 Joy:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Joy. 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>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.
<5>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, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Joy) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Joy. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1976, Longitude: -90.8787    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025