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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 McVey (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 McVey. 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 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.

McVey is located in Macoupin 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 Macoupin County: Greene, Jersey, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan & Sangamon.

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

  • Macoupin County     (The home county of McVey)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Standard City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Standard City is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Nilwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Girard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Virden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Carlinville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Modesto
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Comer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Comer is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comer
    • Palmyra
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Hornsby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Hornsby is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornsby
    • Hettick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • East Gillespie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • East Gillespie is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gillespie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 259 people
    • Gillespie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Hagaman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Hagaman is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagaman
  • Bond County
    • Sorento
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Zenobia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
    • Morrisonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Palmer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Tovey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Tovey is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tovey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tovey <1>
    • Clarksdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Bulpitt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jeisyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Kincaid
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Langleyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Edinburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sharpsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Taylorville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Velma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Velma is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Greenfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Rockbridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Wrights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Jersey County
    • Fidelity
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Williamson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Livingston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • New Douglas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Prairietown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Prairietown is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairietown
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Waggoner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Farmersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Shop Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
    • Raymond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Harvel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Honey Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • White Oak
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Litchfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Butler
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Hillsboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Schram City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Schram City is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
    • Irving
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Taylor Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Waverly
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Alexander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pisgah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pisgah is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Murrayville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McVey, with the one closest to McVey listed first.
    • Thayer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lowder
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Auburn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Divernon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Commanche Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Commanche Village is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commanche Village
    • Pawnee
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Glenarm
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Chatham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Loami
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Maxwell ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Maxwell is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • New City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • New City is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • Woodside
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Woodside is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
    • Curran
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Curran is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people

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

Cemeteries Near McVey ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McVey.

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

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

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

  • Yowell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Sulphur Spring Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • McCoupin Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Girard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Girard City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Bethel Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Rovey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (341 more) ...
    • Gray Family Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rural Methodist Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Union Chapel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, McVey had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Nilwood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Atwater
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Girard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Waggoner
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Anderson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Anderson is located in Macoupin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
  • Zanesville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Zanesville is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zanesville
  • Farmersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Virden
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Thomasville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomasville is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
  • Barnett
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Barnett is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
  • Shop Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
  • Carlinville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Raymond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Honey Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • Harvel
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in McVey ...

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 154 newspapers that have been published in the area around McVey.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McVey, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McVey.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 McVey:

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>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 McVey, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- McVey) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.