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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 Middle Creek (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 Middle Creek. 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.

Name Variations for Middle Creek ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Middle Creek: Middle Crk. (or less commonly used: Middle Ck. or Middle Cr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Middle Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Middle Creek.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Middle Creek is located in Hancock 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 Hancock County: Lee (IA), Adams, Henderson, McDonough, Schuyler, Clark (MO) & Lewis (MO).

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

  • Hancock County     (The home county of Middle Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Bentley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Bentley is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
    • Joetta
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Joetta is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
    • Carthage
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fountain Green
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
    • Plymouth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Burnside
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Burnside is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
    • Ferris
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bowen
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Basco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Augusta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • West Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • West Point is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
    • Elvaston
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Adrian
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • La Prairie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Golden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Loraine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Blacks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Blacks is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacks
    • Lima
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Camp Point
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Clayton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Mendon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Coatsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Paloma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Marcelline
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Marcelline is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcelline
    • Columbus
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Columbus is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 96 people
    • Fowler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Mound Station
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Mound Station is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Station
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Timewell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Mount Sterling
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Terre Haute
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
    • Iowa Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
    • Lomax
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Raritan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Raritan is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Carman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Stronghurst
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Olena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Olena is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
    • Media
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Media is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Gulf Port
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Gulf Port is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf Port
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Colmar
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Colmar is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
    • VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • VIshnu Springs is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for VIshnu Springs
    • Tennessee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Colchester
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Blandinsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • East Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • East Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Macomb
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Macomb is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <1>
    • University Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • University Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Lamone Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
    • Sciota
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Doddsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Doddsville is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
    • Industry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Good Hope
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Huntsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Camden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Wayland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Wayland is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
    • Littleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Rushville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Warren County
    • Youngstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Youngstown is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
  • Des Moines County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Patterson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
    • Burlington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Burlington is located in Des Moines County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,516 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burlington <1>
  • Lee County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Keokuk
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Keokuk is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keokuk
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,090 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keokuk <1>
    • Sandusky
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Sandusky is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
    • Galland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Galland is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
    • Buena Vista ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Buena Vista is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Montrose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Fort Madison
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Wever
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jeffersonville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jeffersonville is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
    • New Boston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • New Boston is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
    • Sawyer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sawyer is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
      • Former names for Sawyer:
      • Atlee
      • Edwards
    • South Augusta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • South Augusta is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Augusta
    • Vincennes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Vincennes is located in Lee County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincennes
    • Argyle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Clark County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Middle Creek, with the one closest to Middle Creek listed first.
    • Alexandria
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Saint Francisville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Saint Francisville is located in Clark County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Francisville
    • Wayland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Wayland is located in Clark County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
  • Lewis County (MO)
    • Canton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Canton is located in Lewis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,314 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Middle Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Middle Creek.

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 Middle Creek - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Holland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Old Brick Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Groves Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Harmony Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Ramsey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Scott Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Irwin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (427 more) ...

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 Middle Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Middle Creek.

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

  • Bentley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bentley is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
  • Saint Mary
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Saint Mary is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary
  • Joetta
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Joetta is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
  • Webster
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Webster is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
  • Carthage
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Denver
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Denver is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
  • Colmar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Colmar is located in McDonough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
  • Fountain Green
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
  • Plymouth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Hills Grove ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Hills Grove is located in McDonough County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Grove
  • Basco
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Bowen
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Burnside
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Burnside is located in Hancock County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
    • Ferris
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Augusta
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Middle Creek ...

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 119 newspapers that have been published in the area around Middle Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Middle Creek, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Middle Creek.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Middle Creek:

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 Middle Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Middle Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.