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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 Oconee (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 Oconee. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Oconee is located in Shelby County.

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 Shelby County: Christian, Coles, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Macon, Montgomery & Moultrie.

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

  • Shelby County     (The home county of Oconee)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Herrick
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrick
      • Herrick is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herrick <2>
    • Tower Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tower Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Hill
      • Tower Hill is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tower Hill <2>
    • Lakewood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
    • Cowden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowden
      • Cowden is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowden <2>
    • Fancher
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fancher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
      • Fancher is located in Shelby County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fancher
      • From Oconee to Fancher
    • Shelbyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Mode
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Yantisville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Middlesworth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Moweaqua
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moweaqua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moweaqua
      • Moweaqua is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,684 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moweaqua <2>
    • Findlay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Stewardson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewardson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewardson
      • Stewardson is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stewardson <2>
    • Strasburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strasburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strasburg
      • Strasburg is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 435 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Strasburg <2>
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Mulberry Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry Grove
      • Mulberry Grove is located in Bond County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 570 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mulberry Grove <2>
    • Smithboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Mound
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Reno
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Pana
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pana
      • Pana is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pana <2>
    • Rosamond
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosamond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosamond
      • Rosamond is located in Christian County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosamond <2>
    • Millersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Owaneco
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owaneco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owaneco
      • Owaneco is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Owaneco <2>
    • Assumption
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Velma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Velma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
      • Velma is located in Christian County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Velma
      • From Oconee to Velma
    • Clarksdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Palmer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmer <2>
    • Morrisonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Taylorville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandersville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Stonington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stonington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonington
      • Stonington is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 835 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stonington <2>
    • Jeisyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeisyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Beecher City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Moccasin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Altamont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altamont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
      • Altamont is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altamont <2>
    • Shumway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shumway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumway
      • Shumway is located in Effingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shumway <2>
    • Dexter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dexter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
      • Dexter is located in Effingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dexter
      • From Oconee to Dexter
    • Funkhouser
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilmore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilmore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
      • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gilmore
      • From Oconee to Gilmore
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Dressor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dressor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dressor
      • From Oconee to Dressor
    • Ramsey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Bayle City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Bingham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham
      • Bingham is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bingham <2>
    • Holliday
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Vandalia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
      • Vandalia is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,662 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vandalia <2>
    • Avena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
      • Avena is located in Fayette County
    • Brownstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
      • Brownstown is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brownstown <2>
    • Bluff City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Fayette County
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howards Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
      • Howards Point is located in Fayette County
    • Saint Elmo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Elmo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
      • Saint Elmo is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,367 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Elmo <2>
    • Hagarstown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Shobonier
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shobonier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shobonier
      • Shobonier is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shobonier <2>
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Blue Mound
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mound
      • Blue Mound is located in Macon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Mound <2>
    • Macon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconee, with the one closest to Oconee listed first.
    • Ohlman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Nokomis
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Wenonah
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wenonah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Coalton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coalton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Witt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Witt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt
      • Witt is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Witt <2>
    • Fillmore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fillmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
      • Fillmore is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fillmore <2>
    • Chapman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chapman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
      • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chapman
      • From Oconee to Chapman
    • Irving
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irving have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
      • Irving is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 457 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irving <2>
    • Coffeen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Schram City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schram City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
      • Schram City is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
    • Hillsboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
      • Hillsboro is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,909 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillsboro <2>
    • Butler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
      • Butler is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Butler <2>
    • Harvel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvel
      • Harvel is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvel <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Oconee ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oconee.

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 Oconee covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Oconee Mound Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oconee Mound Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oconee Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tennessee Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tennessee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tennessee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clark Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clark Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clark Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Price Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Price Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Price Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • 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.
  • Shedd Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shedd Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shedd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prater Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prater Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prater Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosamond Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosamond Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosamond Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bateman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bateman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bateman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mound Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mound Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (382 more) ...
    • New Hope Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ohlman Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ohlman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ohlman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Craig Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Craig Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Craig 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Oconee had a population of 332 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Oconee had a population of 169 people.

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

  • Rosamond
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosamond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosamond
    • Rosamond is located in Christian County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosamond <2>
  • Pana
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pana
    • Pana is located in Christian County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pana <2>
  • Ohlman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Dressor
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dressor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
    • Dressor is located in Fayette County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Dressor
    • From Oconee to Dressor
  • Herrick
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrick
    • Herrick is located in Shelby County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herrick <2>
  • Ramsey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Tower Hill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tower Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Hill
    • Tower Hill is located in Shelby County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 582 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tower Hill <2>
  • Millersville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Lakewood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
  • Bayle City
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Dunkel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunkel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkel
    • Dunkel is located in Christian County
  • Bingham
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham
    • Bingham is located in Fayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bingham <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cowden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowden
      • Cowden is located in Shelby County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowden <2>
    • Fillmore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fillmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
      • Fillmore is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fillmore <2>
    • Owaneco
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owaneco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owaneco
      • Owaneco is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Owaneco <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Oconee ...

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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oconee.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Oconee. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Oconee and those printed in the larger area surrounding Oconee.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Oconee.

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 Oconee:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Oconee. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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>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 Oconee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Oconee) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oconee. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.2859, Longitude: -89.1078    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025