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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 Lester (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 Lester. 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 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.

Lester is located in Marion 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 Marion County: Clay, Clinton, Fayette, Jefferson, Washington & Wayne.

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

  • Marion County     (The home county of Lester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Alma
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Vernon
      (6 miles [9.7 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>
    • Kinmundy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Patoka
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairman
      • Fairman is located in Marion County
    • Salem
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Omega
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Odin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
      • Odin is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,004 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odin <2>
    • Bannister
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Sandoval
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandoval have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandoval
      • Sandoval is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandoval <2>
    • Iuka
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Junction City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junction City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
      • Junction City is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Mulberry Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry Grove
      • Mulberry Grove is located in Bond County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 570 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mulberry Grove <2>
    • Pleasant Mound
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pleasant Mound. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Mound
      • Pleasant Mound is located in Bond County
    • Smithboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Greenville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
      • Greenville is located in Bond County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,365 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenville <2>
    • Pocahontas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Iola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Xenia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Kenner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Louisville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Flora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Boulder
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder
      • Boulder is located in Clinton County
    • Keyesport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keyesport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyesport
      • Keyesport is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keyesport <2>
    • Centralia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Huey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huey
      • Huey is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 161 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Huey <2>
    • Marydale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydale
      • Marydale is located in Clinton County
    • Hoffman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoffman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
      • Hoffman is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoffman <2>
    • Carlyle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlyle
      • Carlyle is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carlyle <2>
    • Posey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posey
      • Posey is located in Clinton County
    • Beckemeyer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beckemeyer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckemeyer
      • Beckemeyer is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 999 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beckemeyer <2>
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Gilmore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Altamont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Mason
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <2>
    • Dexter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Moccasin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
      • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
    • Watson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Funkhouser
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
      • Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
    • Beecher City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
      • Beecher City is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
    • Heartville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartville
      • Heartville is located in Effingham County
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Saint Paul
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Shobonier
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Saint Peter
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Farina
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Bluff City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Brownstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Vandalia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Avena
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Hagarstown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • La Clede
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Clede
      • La Clede is located in Fayette County
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Dix
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dix
      • Dix is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dix <2>
    • Texico
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Shields
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Idlewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewood
      • Idlewood is located in Jefferson County
    • Jefferson City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
      • Jefferson City is located in Jefferson County
    • Pigeon ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pigeon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
      • Pigeon is located in Jefferson County
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Chapman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chapman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
      • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
    • Fillmore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fillmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
      • Fillmore is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fillmore <2>
    • Coffeen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Shelby County
    • Herrick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrick
      • Herrick is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herrick <2>
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lester, with the one closest to Lester listed first.
    • Wamac
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamac
      • Wamac is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,117 people
    • Baldwin Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baldwin Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin Heights
      • Baldwin Heights is located in Washington County
    • Irvington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irvington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvington
      • Irvington is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 609 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irvington <2>
    • Hoyleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Wayne County
    • Johnsonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Lester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lester.

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

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

  • Conant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Conant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Conant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Fork Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Fork Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Fork Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riedle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riedle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riedle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crowder Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crowder Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crowder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Doolen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Doolen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Doolen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holt Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Caldwell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Caldwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Caldwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jones Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Jones Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<4> to the southeast of Alma.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106384 <5>
  • Sandy Branch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sandy Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sandy Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meador Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meador Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meador Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Martin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (463 more) ...
    • Augsburg Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Augsburg Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Augsburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jones Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jones Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jones Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lee Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Lester had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Saint Paul
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Wilberton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilberton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilberton
    • Wilberton is located in Fayette County
  • Alma
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Vernon
    (6 miles [9.7 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>
  • Patoka
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Kinmundy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Shobonier
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • 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>
  • Tonti
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tonti have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonti
    • Tonti is located in Marion County
  • Loogootee
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Fairman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairman
    • Fairman is located in Marion County
  • Farina
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Salem
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Omega
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Saint James
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint James have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint James
      • Saint James is located in Fayette County
    • Odin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odin
      • Odin is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,004 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odin <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Lester ...

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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lester, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Lester:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Lester. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Lester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8025, Longitude: -88.9764       In this case, the coordinates for Lester have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Lester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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