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 Menard (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 Menard. 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.
Menard is located in Randolph 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 Randolph County: Jackson, Monroe, Perry, Saint Clair, Washington, Perry (MO) & Sainte Genevieve (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Menard. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Menard:
- Randolph County (The home county of Menard)
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Chester
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Kaskaskia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kaskaskia is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaskaskia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
- New Palestine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- New Palestine is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Palestine
- Bremen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dozaville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dozaville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozaville
- Welge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Welge is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welge
- Ellis Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Leanderville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Leanderville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leanderville
- Rockwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Blair
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Blair is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
- Shiloh Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Shiloh Hill is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Hill
- Steeleville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Walsh
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Walsh is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsh
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Degognia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Degognia is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Degognia
- Campbell Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Ava
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Jacob
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gorham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Oraville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Grand Tower
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Vergennes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Murphysboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Renault
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Fults
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hecker
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Burksville Station
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Burksville Station is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville Station
- Burksville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Burksville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville
- Maeystown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Willisville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Cutler
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Denmark
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Denmark is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
- Conant
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Conant is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
- Winkle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Winkle is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkle
- Pyatts
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pyatts is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyatts
- Pinckneyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Marissa
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lenzburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- New Athens
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- New Athens is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Athens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,865 people
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Clarmin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Clarmin is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarmin
- Caspars
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Caspars is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspars
- Elkton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Elkton is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
- Oakdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bollinger County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Sedgewickville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sedgewickville is located in Bollinger County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedgewickville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
- Patton Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Patton Junction is located in Bollinger County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton Junction
- Patton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Old Appleton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Old Appleton is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Appleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Friedheim
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Daisy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Daisy is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
- Shawneetown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Shawneetown is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawneetown
- Oak Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Pocahontas
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Perry County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- McBride
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- McBride is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
- Lithium
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lithium is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithium
- Sereno
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sereno is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
- Perryville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Eureka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Eureka is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Longtown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Longtown is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Farrar
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Farrar is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
- Silver Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Lake is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Brazeau
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Brazeau is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazeau
- Millheim
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Millheim is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millheim
- Biehle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Biehle is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biehle
- Uniontown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Uniontown is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Frohna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Frohna is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frohna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
- Saint Francois County (MO)
- French Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Saint Mary
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Quarry Town
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Quarry Town is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quarry Town
- Quarry Town has also been known as:
- Quarrytown
- Ozora
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Ozora is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ozora
- Sainte Genevieve
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Little Rock Landing ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Little Rock Landing is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Landing
- Minnith
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Minnith is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnith
- Marlo ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Marlo is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlo
- River aux Vases
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- River aux Vases is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River aux Vases
- Former name for River aux Vases:
- Staabtown
- Zell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Zell is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
- Clearwater
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Clearwater is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
- New Offenburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- New Offenburg is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Offenburg
- Clement ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Clement is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement
- Weingarten
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Weingarten is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weingarten
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Menard, see our County-by-County Page for Menard.
Cemeteries Near Menard ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Menard.
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 Menard - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Menard covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Evergreen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Mann Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Frazer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Kaskaskia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Nativity Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kirk Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Moore Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tindall Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fulford Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Grah Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (272 more) ...
- Draves Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Brown Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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, Menard had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Menard, with the one closest to Menard listed first.
- Claryville
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Claryville is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claryville
- Chester
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Kaskaskia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kaskaskia is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaskaskia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13 people
- Lithium
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lithium is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithium
- Belgique
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Belgique is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgique
- Saint Mary
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bremen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Palestine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- New Palestine is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Palestine
- Sereno
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sereno is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
- Ellis Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Welge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Welge is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welge
- Point Rest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Point Rest is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Rest
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Rockwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brewer
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Brewer is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brewer
- Blair
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Blair is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Menard. See our List of 1890's Communities around Menard.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Menard ...
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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Menard.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Menard. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Menard and those printed in the larger area surrounding Menard.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<3> of Menard.
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 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 Menard:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Randolph County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Jackson County
- Monroe County
- Perry County
- Saint Clair County
- Washington County
- Bollinger County
- Cape Girardeau County
- Perry County
- Saint Francois County
- Sainte Genevieve 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> | 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 Menard, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Menard) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |