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 Martinsville (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 Martinsville. 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 hospitals and 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.
Martinsville is located in Clark 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 Clark County: Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar, Jasper, Sullivan (IN) & Vigo (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Martinsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Martinsville:
- Clark County (The home county of Martinsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Clark Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Clark Center is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark Center
- Cleone
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Cleone is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleone
- Cumberland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Cumberland is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Oilfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oilfield is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oilfield
- Casey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Clarksville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Clarksville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
- Marshall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Westfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hogue Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Hogue Town is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogue Town
- Melrose
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Oak Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Point is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
- Snyder
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Snyder is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
- Livingston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Livingston is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
- Coles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Hutton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hutton is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Ashmore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Omer ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Omer is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Omer
- Charleston
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Rardin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rardin is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rardin
- Bushton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bushton is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushton
- Lerna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Oakland
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Trilla
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Dorans
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dorans is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorans
- Magnet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Magnet is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Mattoon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Humboldt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Annapolis
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bellair
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bellair is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellair
- West York
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dogwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dogwood is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
- Kibbie ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Kibbie is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
- Hutsonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Trimble
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Trimble is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
- Oblong
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Stoy
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Robinson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Oil Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Oil Center is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil Center
- Gordon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gordon is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- New Hebron
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- New Hebron is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hebron
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Union Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Union Center is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
- Hazel Dell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hazel Dell is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Dell
- Timothy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Timothy is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timothy
- Diona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Diona is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diona
- Greenup
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Walla Walla
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Walla Walla is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walla Walla
- Bradbury
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bradbury is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradbury
- Janesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Toledo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Jewett
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Johnstown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Johnstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Neoga
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Hindsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kemp
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kemp is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemp
- Filson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Filson is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filson
- Edgar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Bell Ridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bell Ridge is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Ridge
- Grandview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Grandview is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
- Oliver
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Oliver is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
- Kansas
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Conlogue
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Conlogue is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conlogue
- Nevins
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Nevins is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevins
- Elbridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Elbridge is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
- Redmon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Paris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Borton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Borton is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borton
- Kentucky
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Kentucky is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky
- Vermilion
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brocton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Effingham County
- Montrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Montrose is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Yale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hidalgo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hunt City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hunt City is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt City
- Rose Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rose Hill is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
- Willow Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Falmouth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Falmouth is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Newton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sainte Marie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lis is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lis
- Sullivan County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Fairbanks
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairbanks is located in Sullivan County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
- Graysville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Graysville is located in Sullivan County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graysville
- Scott City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Scott City is located in Sullivan County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott City
- Merom
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Farmersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Shelburn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- New Lebanon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sullivan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vermillion County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Blanford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Blanford is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanford
- Universal
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Universal is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Universal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 339 people
- Vigo County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Vigo
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Vigo is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigo
- Prairie Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Prairie Creek is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Creek
- Prairieton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Prairieton is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieton
- Toad Hop
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Toad Hop is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toad Hop
- Liggett
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Liggett is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liggett
- West Terre Haute
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Taylorville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Taylorville is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorville
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pimento
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pimento is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pimento
- Terre Haute
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Barnhart Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Barnhart Town is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhart Town
- Libertyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Libertyville is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Pine Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Ridge is located in Vigo County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Martinsville, see our County-by-County Page for Martinsville.
Cemeteries Near Martinsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Martinsville.
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 Martinsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Martinsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Kettering Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Lincoln Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Rupp Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Blackburn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Connelly Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Baird Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baird Cemetery
- The Baird Cemetery has also been known as:
- Baird Barr Cemetery
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lindsey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bluegrass Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Casey Cumberland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casey Cumberland Cemetery
- The Casey Cumberland Cemetery has also been known as:
- Casey City Cemetery
- Cumberland Baptist Cemetery
- Cumberland Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #164677 <2>
- Washington Street Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bean Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bean Cemetery
- The Bean Cemetery has also been known as:
- Cleone Cemetery
- Continue List (419 more) ...
- Island Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Ennis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Martinsville had a population of 779 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Martinsville had a population of 1,076 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
- Cleone
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Cleone is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleone
- Clark Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Clark Center is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark Center
- Casey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Orange
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Orange is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
- Oak Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Point is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
- Moonshine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Moonshine is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moonshine
- Melrose
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Marshall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Westfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Union Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Union Center is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
- Ernst
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ernst is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernst
- Hutton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hutton is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hazel Dell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hazel Dell is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Dell
- Snyder
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Snyder is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
- Timothy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Timothy is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timothy
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Martinsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Martinsville.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Martinsville ...
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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Martinsville.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Martinsville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Martinsville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Martinsville.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3> of Martinsville.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Martinsville:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Clark County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coles County
- Crawford County
- Cumberland County
- Douglas County
- Edgar County
- Effingham County
- Jasper County
- Sullivan County
- Vermillion County
- Vigo 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Martinsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Martinsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |