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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 Murphysboro (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 Murphysboro. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Murphysboro is located in Jackson County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jackson County: Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Union, Williamson & Perry (MO).

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Murphysboro)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Royalton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royalton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
      • Royalton is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,110 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Royalton <2>
    • Mulkeytown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulkeytown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulkeytown
      • Mulkeytown is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mulkeytown <2>
    • Zeigler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zeigler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
      • Zeigler is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,671 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Zeigler <2>
    • Plumfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Cambon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Christopher
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christopher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christopher
      • Christopher is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,686 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Christopher <2>
    • Coello
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coello have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coello
      • Coello is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coello <2>
    • North City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North City
      • North City is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
    • Buckner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckner
      • Buckner is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckner <2>
    • Orient
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orient have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orient
      • Orient is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orient <2>
    • Valier
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
      • Valier is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 630 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valier <2>
    • West Frankfort
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Frankfort have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Frankfort
      • West Frankfort is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,733 people
    • Deering City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deering City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deering City
      • Deering City is located in Franklin County
  • Jefferson County
    • Emerson City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emerson City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson City
      • Emerson City is located in Jefferson County
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Goreville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Deer Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Point Bay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Point Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point Bay
      • Eagle Point Bay is located in Johnson County
    • Egyptian Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Buncombe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buncombe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buncombe
      • Buncombe is located in Johnson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buncombe <2>
  • Perry County
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Shiloh Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
      • Rockwood is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockwood <2>
    • Leanderville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Percy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Steeleville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Welge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Welge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welge
      • Welge is located in Randolph County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Welge
      • From Murphysboro to Welge
    • Bremen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Chester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
      • Chester is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chester <2>
    • Blair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Menard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menard
      • Menard is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Menard <2>
    • New Palestine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Alto Pass
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alto Pass have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto Pass
      • Alto Pass is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 360 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alto Pass <2>
    • Cobden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cobden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobden
      • Cobden is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,053 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cobden <2>
    • Water Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wolf Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
      • Wolf Lake is located in Union County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wolf Lake <2>
    • Anna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Jonesboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesboro
      • Jonesboro is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,677 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesboro <2>
    • Lick Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dutch Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Reynoldsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dongola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dongola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dongola
      • Dongola is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 672 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dongola <2>
    • Mill Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Cambria
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Hurst
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
      • Hurst is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurst <2>
    • Blairsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bush
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bush have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
      • Bush is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 263 people
    • Carterville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Colp
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Dewmaine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dewmaine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewmaine
      • Dewmaine is located in Williamson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dewmaine
      • From Murphysboro to Dewmaine
    • Crainville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crainville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crainville
      • Crainville is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
    • Energy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Energy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Energy
      • Energy is located in Williamson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Energy <2>
    • Herrin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Herrin Junction ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Freeman Spur
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Stiritz
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Cape Girardeau County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Shawneetown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Appleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Leemon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Pocahontas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pocahontas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Pocahontas is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocahontas <2>
    • Oak Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
      • Oak Ridge is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 231 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Ridge <2>
    • Friedheim
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friedheim have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedheim
      • Friedheim is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Friedheim <2>
    • Daisy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Perry County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Murphysboro, with the one closest to Murphysboro listed first.
    • Altenburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altenburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altenburg
      • Altenburg is located in Perry County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altenburg <2>
    • Frohna
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frohna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frohna
      • Frohna is located in Perry County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
    • Brazeau
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Farrar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farrar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
      • Farrar is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Eureka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Uniontown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Longtown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Longtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
      • Longtown is located in Perry County (MO)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Longtown
      • From Murphysboro to Longtown
    • McBride
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Perryville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Sereno
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Biehle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biehle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biehle
      • Biehle is located in Perry County (MO)
    • Lithium
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lithium have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithium
      • Lithium is located in Perry County (MO)

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

Cemeteries Near Murphysboro ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Murphysboro.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Murphysboro City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Murphysboro City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Murphysboro City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Carbon Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carbon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carbon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Andrews Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Tower Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Boucher Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boucher Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boucher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Worthen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Worthen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Worthen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Murdale Gardens of Memory
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Murdale Gardens of Memory
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Murdale Gardens of Memory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Grove Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hall Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Poplar Ridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poplar Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poplar Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bostick Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bostick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bostick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (413 more) ...
    • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ripley Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ripley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ripley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Zion Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Murphysboro had a population of 3,880 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Murphysboro had a population of 7,384 people.

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

  • Harrison
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
    • Harrison is located in Jackson County
  • Grange Hall
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grange Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange Hall
    • Grange Hall is located in Jackson County
  • Sand Ridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
    • Sand Ridge is located in Jackson County
  • De Soto
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Soto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto
    • De Soto is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,503 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Soto <2>
  • Oraville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Carbondale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Pomona
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pomona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
    • Pomona is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pomona <2>
  • Vergennes
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Boskydell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boskydell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boskydell
    • Boskydell is located in Jackson County
  • Makanda
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Fredonia ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
    • Fredonia is located in Williamson County
  • Sato
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sato have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sato
    • Sato is located in Jackson County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Elkville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Grubbs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grubbs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubbs
      • Grubbs is located in Jackson County
    • Wittenberg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wittenberg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
      • Wittenberg is located in Perry County (MO)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Murphysboro ...

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 155 newspapers that have been published in the area around Murphysboro.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Murphysboro. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Murphysboro and those printed in the larger area surrounding Murphysboro.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<6> of Murphysboro.

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 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 Murphysboro:

The official website for Murphysboro: www.murphysboro.com/

The official website for Jackson County: www.co.jackson.il.us/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Murphysboro, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Murphysboro) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Murphysboro. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.7644, Longitude: -89.3359    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025