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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 Old Stonington (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 Stonington. 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 Stonington is located in Christian 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 Christian County: Macon, Montgomery, Sangamon & Shelby.

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

  • Christian County     (The home county of Old Stonington)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Sandersville
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Sandersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
    • Stonington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Assumption
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Taylorville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Velma
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Velma is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
    • Owaneco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Grove City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Grove City is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Sharpsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Millersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Millersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
    • Langleyville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Mount Auburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bolivia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Bolivia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
    • Edinburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Fayette County
    • Dressor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Latham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cornland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Pulaski
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Chestnut
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Blue Mound
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Macon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Boody
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elwin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Harristown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Niantic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Turpin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Turpin is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turpin
    • Hervey City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Hervey City is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hervey City
    • Mount Zion
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Decatur
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bearsdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bearsdale is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearsdale
    • Long Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Long Creek is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
    • Warrensburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Ohlman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Wenonah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Nokomis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • White Oak
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Coalton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Harvel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Witt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Witt is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Witt <1>
    • Farmersville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Raymond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Moultrie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Dalton City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Bethany
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Dunn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Dunn is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
    • Lake City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake City is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
    • Cushman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Cushman is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushman
    • Lovington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Sullivan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Piatt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • La Place
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lintner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Lintner is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lintner
    • Cerro Gordo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Burrowsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Burrowsville is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Illiopolis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Mechanicsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • New City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • New City is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • Rochester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dawson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Pawnee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Commanche Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Commanche Village is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commanche Village
    • Buffalo Hart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
    • Clear Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Riverton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenarm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Divernon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Stonington, with the one closest to Old Stonington listed first.
    • Moweaqua
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Yantisville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Yantisville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville
    • Tower Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Findlay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Oconee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lakewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Shelbyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Middlesworth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth
    • Herrick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Cowden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Old Stonington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Old Stonington.

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 Stonington - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Old Stonington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Ponting Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Tanner Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Long Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bilyeu Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Harris Cemetery #2
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Adams Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Hayes Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Jacobs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Glen Haven Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Fraley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (291 more) ...
    • Westside Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Mt. Zion Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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.<2>

While we didn't find Old Stonington in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Old Stonington.

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

  • Stonington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Willeys
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Willeys is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willeys
  • Radford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Radford is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
  • Moweaqua
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Blue Mound
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Taylorville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Velma
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Velma is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
  • Assumption
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Walker
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Walker is located in Macon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
  • Owaneco
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Dunkel
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Dunkel is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkel
  • Macon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Grove City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Grove City is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Sharpsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Millersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Millersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville

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

Newspapers Published in Old Stonington ...

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 154 newspapers that have been published in the area around Old Stonington.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Old Stonington, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Old Stonington.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Stonington:

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>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 Stonington, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Old Stonington) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.