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 Old Niota (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 Old Niota. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Old Niota is located in Hancock County.
To see how the shape of Illinois' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hancock County: Lee (IA), Adams, Henderson, McDonough, Schuyler, Clark (MO) & Lewis (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Old Niota. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Old Niota:
- Hancock County (The home county of Old Niota)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Niota
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pontoosuc
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pontoosuc is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoosuc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Powellton
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Powellton is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
- Nauvoo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Colusa
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Dallas City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Adrian
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ferris
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Burnside
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Burnside is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Disco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Disco is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Disco
- Elvaston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hamilton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Adams County
- Lima
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Lomax
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Iowa Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
- Carman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Terre Haute
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
- Gulf Port
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gulf Port is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf Port
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
- Olena
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Olena is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
- Stronghurst
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gladstone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Raritan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Raritan is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Media
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Media is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
- Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
- Biggsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Biggsville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Oquawka
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- McDonough County
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Blandinsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- VIshnu Springs is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for VIshnu Springs
- Colmar
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Colmar is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
- Tennessee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sciota
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Colchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Warren County
- Smithshire
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Des Moines County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Patterson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Middletown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Middletown is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- West Burlington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Danville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Danville is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Kline
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Kline is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Dodgeville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Dodgeville is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Sperry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sperry is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sperry
- Mediapolis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Yarmouth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Kingston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kingston is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Henry County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Lowell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lowell is located in Henry County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- New London
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Salem
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsboro is located in Henry County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Mount Pleasant
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oakland Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oakland Mills is located in Henry County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Mills
- Westwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood is located in Henry County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Lee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Fort Madison
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sawyer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sawyer is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Former names for Sawyer:
- Atlee
- Edwards
- Wever
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jeffersonville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jeffersonville is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
- Galland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Galland is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Montrose
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Denmark
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- South Augusta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- South Augusta is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Augusta
- West Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sandusky
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sandusky is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- Franklin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Franklin is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- New Boston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- New Boston is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
- Van Buren County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Farmington
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Bonaparte
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Clark County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Saint Francisville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Francisville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Francisville
- Dumas
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Dumas is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Alexandria
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Athens
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Athens is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Revere
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wayland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wayland is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Peaksville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Peaksville is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Clark City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Clark City is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark City
- Anson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Anson is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anson
- Kahoka
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chambersburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Chambersburg is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersburg
- Acasto
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Acasto is located in Clark County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acasto
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Old Niota, see our County-by-County Page for Old Niota.
Cemeteries Near Old Niota ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Old Niota.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Old Niota - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Old Niota covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Appanoose Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Iowa State Prison Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Hillcrest Memorial Park
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Hoffmeister Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Ft. Madison City Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Box Groves Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cherry Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Hyde Grounds Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Gethsemans Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Alley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Slack Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Continue List (443 more) ...
- Burton Farm Grounds Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- John Box Grounds Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Tull Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find Old Niota in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Old Niota.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Old Niota, with the one closest to Old Niota listed first.
- Niota
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Fort Madison
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pontoosuc
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pontoosuc is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoosuc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Powellton
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Powellton is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
- Bullard
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bullard is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullard
- Nauvoo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sawyer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sawyer is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Former names for Sawyer:
- Atlee
- Edwards
- Viele
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Viele is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viele
- Colusa
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Dallas City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Wever
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Montrose
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Galland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Galland is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Sonora ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sonora is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonora
- Denmark
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Old Niota. See our List of 1890's Communities around Old Niota.
Newspapers Published in Old Niota ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Old Niota.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Old Niota, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Old Niota.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites 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 Old Niota:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Hancock County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Henderson County
- McDonough County
- Warren County
- Des Moines County
- Henry County
- Lee County
- Van Buren County
- Clark County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Old Niota, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Old Niota) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |