RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> McDonough County >> Macomb >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Macomb (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 Macomb. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Macomb is located in McDonough County and is the County Seat.

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 McDonough County: Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Schuyler & Warren.

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

  • McDonough County     (The home county of Macomb)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Lamone Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
    • East Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • East Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • University Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • University Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Good Hope
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bardolph
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Colchester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sciota
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Tennessee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Adair
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bushnell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Industry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Blandinsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • La Prairie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Golden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Brown County
    • Ripley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Ripley is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Marietta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Table Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Checkrow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Checkrow is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Checkrow
    • Avon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Vermont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Babylon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Babylon is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babylon
    • Smithfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Ipava
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Blyton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Blyton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyton
    • Ellisville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Astoria
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cuba
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
  • Hancock County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Joetta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Joetta is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
    • Fountain Green
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
    • La Harpe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • La Harpe is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Harpe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,123 people
    • Plymouth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Disco
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Disco is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Disco
    • Augusta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Burnside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Burnside is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
    • Bentley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bentley is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
    • Carthage
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Bowen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Adrian
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Ferris
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Raritan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Raritan is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Terre Haute
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
    • Media
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Media is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Stronghurst
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Iowa Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
    • Lomax
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lomax is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lomax <1>
    • Olena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Olena is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
    • Carman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Biggsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Biggsville is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Gladstone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Saint Augustine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Abingdon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Littleton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Wayland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Wayland is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
    • Huntsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Camden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rushville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bader
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bader is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
    • Browning
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Frederick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Macomb, with the one closest to Macomb listed first.
    • Youngstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Youngstown is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
    • Roseville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Smithshire
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Berwick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Kirkwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Cameron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Monmouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Des Moines County (IA)
    • Patterson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson

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

Cemeteries Near Macomb ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Macomb.

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 Macomb - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Macomb Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old Macomb Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Paul Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Simpson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Old Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Bailey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Stickel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickel Cemetery
    • The Stickel Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Stickle Cemetery
  • Brooking Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Guy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Bean Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (406 more) ...
    • Walnut Grove Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Creek Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek Cemetery
      • The Spring Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Hainline Cemetery
    • Pennington #1 Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Macomb had a population of 4,052 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Macomb had a population of 17,206 people.

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

  • Good Hope
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Colchester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bardolph
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Sciota
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Scottsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Scottsburg is located in McDonough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
  • Fandon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Fandon is located in McDonough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fandon
  • Pennington Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pennington Point is located in McDonough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington Point
  • Tennessee
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Industry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Adair
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Bushnell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Hills Grove ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hills Grove is located in McDonough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Grove
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New Philadelphia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Blandinsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Joetta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Joetta is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Macomb ...

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 214 newspapers that have been published in the area around Macomb.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Macomb. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Macomb and those printed in the larger area surrounding Macomb.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Macomb.

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 helpful 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 Macomb:

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 Macomb, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Macomb) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.