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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 Okawville (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 Okawville. 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.

Okawville is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, Perry, Randolph & Saint Clair.

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Okawville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okawville, with the one closest to Okawville listed first.
    • Addieville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Addieville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addieville
      • Addieville is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Addieville <2>
    • Venedy
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venedy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venedy
      • Venedy is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
    • Stone Church
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • New Minden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Elkton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Caspars
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caspars. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspars
      • Caspars is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Caspars
      • From Okawville to Caspars
    • Oakdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Oakdale is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <2>
    • Nashville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hoyleton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Posen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Posen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posen
      • Posen is located in Washington County
    • Clarmin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ashley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley
      • Ashley is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ashley <2>
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okawville, with the one closest to Okawville listed first.
    • Pierron
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierron
      • Pierron is located in Bond County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierron <2>
    • Pocahontas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okawville, with the one closest to Okawville listed first.
    • Damiansville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • New Memphis
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Memphis
      • New Memphis is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Memphis <2>
    • Germantown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germantown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
      • Germantown is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Germantown <2>
    • Bartelso
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Albers
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albers
      • Albers is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,115 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albers <2>
    • New Baden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Baden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Baden
      • New Baden is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Baden <2>
    • Breese
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Aviston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aviston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aviston
      • Aviston is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aviston <2>
    • Beckemeyer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beckemeyer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckemeyer
      • Beckemeyer is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 999 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beckemeyer <2>
    • Posey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Trenton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trenton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
      • Trenton is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,566 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenton <2>
    • Carlyle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlyle
      • Carlyle is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carlyle <2>
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okawville, with the one closest to Okawville listed first.
    • Roaches
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Jefferson City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson City
      • Jefferson City is located in Jefferson County
    • Woodlawn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Scheller
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scheller have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scheller
      • Scheller is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scheller <2>
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okawville, with the one closest to Okawville listed first.
    • Sebastopol
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sebastopol. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
      • Sebastopol is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sebastopol
      • From Okawville to Sebastopol
    • Saint Jacob
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Highland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
      • Highland is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,017 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Highland <2>
    • Marine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marine
      • Marine is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 919 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marine <2>
    • Troy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Grantfork
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Collinsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Maryville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maryville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryville
      • Maryville is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,959 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maryville <2>
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Okawville, with the one closest to Okawville listed first.
    • Central City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Central City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,107 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Central City
      • From Okawville to Central City
    • Junction City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junction City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
      • Junction City is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
    • Sandoval
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandoval have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandoval
      • Sandoval is located in Marion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandoval <2>
    • Walnut Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Fairman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Odin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Monroe County
    • Hecker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hecker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hecker
      • Hecker is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hecker <2>
  • Perry County
  • Randolph County
  • Saint Clair County

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

Cemeteries Near Okawville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Okawville.

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

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

  • Toensing Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Toensing Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Toensing Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Staude Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Staude Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Staude Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Okawville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Okawville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Okawville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Husemann Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Husemann Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Husemann Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zetsche Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zetsche Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zetsche Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harrymans Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrymans Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrymans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kinyon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kinyon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kinyon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Neunlist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neunlist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neunlist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olive Branch Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olive Branch Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olive Branch Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miller Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (421 more) ...
    • Addieville Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Addieville Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Addieville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Zion Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.
    • St. Johns Evangelical Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Evangelical Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Evangelical 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 Okawville had a population of 472 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Okawville had a population of 1,349 people.

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

  • Venedy Station
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venedy Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venedy Station
    • Venedy Station is located in Washington County
  • Addieville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Addieville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addieville
    • Addieville is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Addieville <2>
  • Venedy
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venedy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venedy
    • Venedy is located in Washington County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
  • Plum Hill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plum Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Hill
    • Plum Hill is located in Washington County
  • Johannisburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johannisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johannisburg
    • Johannisburg is located in Washington County
  • Damiansville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Stone Church
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • New Memphis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Memphis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Memphis
    • New Memphis is located in Clinton County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Memphis <2>
  • New Memphis Station
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Memphis Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Memphis Station
    • New Memphis Station is located in Clinton County
  • Bartelso
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Germantown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germantown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
    • Germantown is located in Clinton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,273 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Germantown <2>
  • Saint Libory
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Lively Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lively Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lively Grove
      • Lively Grove is located in Washington County
    • New Minden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Caspars
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caspars. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspars
      • Caspars is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Caspars
      • From Okawville to Caspars

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Okawville ...

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 139 newspapers that have been published in the area around Okawville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Okawville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Okawville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Okawville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Okawville.

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 Okawville:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Okawville. 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 Okawville, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Okawville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Okawville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4331, Longitude: -89.5505    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025