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 Merrimac (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 Merrimac. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Merrimac is located in Monroe 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 Monroe County: Randolph, Saint Clair, Jefferson (MO), Saint Louis (MO) & Sainte Genevieve (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Merrimac. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Merrimac:
- Monroe County (The home county of Merrimac)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Valmeyer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Foster Pond ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Foster Pond is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Pond
- Columbia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Madonnaville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Madonnaville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madonnaville
- Monroe City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Monroe City is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
- Waterloo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Wartburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wartburg is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartburg
- Chalfin Bridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Chalfin Bridge is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalfin Bridge
- Mitchie
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mitchie is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchie
- Maeystown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Burksville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Burksville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville
- Burksville Station
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Burksville Station is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burksville Station
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Venice
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Newport
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Newport is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Madison
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Granite City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Collinsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nameoki
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nameoki is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nameoki
- Pontoon Beach
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Brooks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brooks is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
- Mitchell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchell is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Red Bud
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Prairie du Rocher
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Prairie du Rocher is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Rocher
- Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
- Prairie du Rocher has also been known as:
- Prairie du Rocher village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prairie du Rocher <1>
- Ruma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ruma is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
- Modoc
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Modoc is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modoc
- Baldwin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Evansville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- East Carondelet
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Dupo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dupo is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,845 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dupo <1>
- Falling Spring
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Falling Spring is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
- Millstadt
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cahokia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Imbs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Imbs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imbs
- Centreville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Centreville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,844 people
- Sauget
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Smithton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Alorton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- East Saint Louis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gartside
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gartside is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gartside
- Franklin County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Catawissa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Hemker
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Hemker is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemker
- Pacific
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pacific is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,097 people
- Former name for Pacific:
- Franklin
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pacific <1>
- Robertsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Saint Albans
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gray Summit
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lonedell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lonedell is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lonedell
- Luebbering
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Luebbering is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luebbering
- Port Royal ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Port Royal is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Royal
- Hensley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Hensley is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hensley
- Labadie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Moselle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Moselle is located in Franklin County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moselle
- Jefferson County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Kimmswick
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Imperial
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Flamm City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Flamm City is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flamm City
- Barnhart
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Arnold
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Arnold is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,145 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arnold <1>
- Maxville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Maxville is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxville
- Pevely
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pevely is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pevely
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,001 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pevely <1>
- Herculaneum
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Horine
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Horine is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horine
- Otto
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Otto is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
- Crystal City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Festus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Festus is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Festus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,114 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Festus <1>
- Saint Charles County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Harvester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Weldon Spring Heights
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Weldon Spring Heights is located in Saint Charles County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon Spring Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Weldon Spring
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Charles
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Defiance
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Francois County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- French Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Silver Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Silver Springs is located in Saint Francois County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Springs
- Blackwell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Blackwell is located in Saint Francois County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwell
- Saint Louis City (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Carondelet
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Carondelet is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carondelet
- Cheltenham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cheltenham is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheltenham
- Tower Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Tower Grove is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Grove
- Saint Louis
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- University City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- University City is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34,049 people
- Baden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Baden is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
- Saint Louis County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Mattese
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mattese is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattese
- Oakville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Oakville is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
- Mehlville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mehlville is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehlville
- Concord
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Green Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Green Park is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,614 people
- Ivory
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ivory is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivory
- Lakeshire
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lakeshire is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeshire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,385 people
- Lemay
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lemay is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemay
- Saint George
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Saint George is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Estimated population in 2011: 1,336 people
- Sappington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Sunset Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Sunset Hills is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,448 people
- Fenton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fenton is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,027 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fenton <1>
- Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Brickeys
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brickeys is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickeys
- Former names for Brickeys:
- Brickeys Gristmill
- Brickeys Landing
- Needmore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Needmore is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Clement ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Clement is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement
- Kinsey
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kinsey is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinsey
- Bloomsdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lawrenceton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lawrenceton is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceton
- Little Rock Landing ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Little Rock Landing is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Landing
- Rocky Ridge Ranch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Rocky Ridge Ranch is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge Ranch
- Rocky Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Rocky Ridge is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
- Zell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Zell is located in Sainte Genevieve County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zell
- Washington County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Tiff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tiff is located in Washington County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiff
- Richwoods
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Richwoods is located in Washington County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwoods
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Merrimac, see our County-by-County Page for Merrimac.
Cemeteries Near Merrimac ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merrimac.
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 Merrimac - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Merrimac covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Eagle Cliff Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shepherd Hills Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Liquori Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Richardson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Emmanuel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Wallace Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Madonnaville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bloyd Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Deer Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Harrington Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (392 more) ...
- New Hanover Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Zion Lutheran 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.<3>
While we didn't find Merrimac in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Merrimac.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Merrimac, with the one closest to Merrimac listed first.
- Kimmswick
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Wickes
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Wickes is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickes
- Sulphur Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- White House
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- White House is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White House
- Bushburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bushburg is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushburg
- New Hanover
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- New Hanover is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hanover
- Maxville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Maxville is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxville
- Seckman
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Seckman is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seckman
- Pevely
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pevely is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pevely
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,001 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pevely <1>
- Riverside
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Riverside is located in Jefferson County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Harrisonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harrisonville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Cliff Cave
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Cliff Cave is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliff Cave
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Foster Pond ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Foster Pond is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Pond
- Oakville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Oakville is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
- Mattese
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mattese is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattese
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Merrimac. See our List of 1890's Communities around Merrimac.
Newspapers Published in Merrimac ...
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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merrimac.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Merrimac, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Merrimac.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Merrimac:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Monroe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Madison County
- Randolph County
- Saint Clair County
- Franklin County
- Jefferson County
- Saint Charles County
- Saint Francois County
- Saint Louis City
- Saint Louis County
- Sainte Genevieve County
- Washington 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> | 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 Merrimac, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merrimac) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |