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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 Omar (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 Omar. 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 hospitals and 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.

Omar is located in Johnson 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 Johnson County: Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union & Williamson.

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

  • Johnson County     (The home county of Omar)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Buncombe
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Goreville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Deer Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Deer Ridge is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Ridge
    • Eagle Point Bay
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Eagle Point Bay is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point Bay
    • Egyptian Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Egyptian Hills is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egyptian Hills
    • Vienna
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cypress
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Bender ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bender is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bender
    • Reynoldsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Reynoldsburg is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsburg
    • Ozark
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Simpson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • New Burnside
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Belknap
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Elco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tamms
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Tamms is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamms
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 449 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tamms <1>
    • Diswood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Diswood is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diswood
    • McClure
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hodges Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hodges Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodges Park
    • Unity
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Cambon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cambon is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambon
    • Fitt's Hill ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Fitt's Hill is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitt's Hill
    • Plumfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Plumfield is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumfield
    • Royalton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • West Frankfort
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • West Frankfort is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Frankfort
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,733 people
    • Zeigler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Deering City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Deering City is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deering City
    • Orient
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Thompsonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Hardin County
    • Shetlerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Shetlerville is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shetlerville
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Makanda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Carbondale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pomona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • De Soto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Murphysboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hallidayboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hallidayboro is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallidayboro
    • Grand Tower
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Massac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • New Columbia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • New Columbia is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
    • Big Bay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Big Bay is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
    • Joppa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Metropolis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Massac City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Massac City is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac City
  • Pope County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Glendale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Glendale is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • McCormick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • McCormick is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCormick
    • Dixon Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Dixon Springs is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
    • Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Rock is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Eddyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Oak
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Oak is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
    • Hartsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hartsville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • Lusk
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Lusk is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lusk
    • Golconda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Leisure City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Leisure City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure City
    • Herod
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Pulaski County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Karnak
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Perks
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grand Chain
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • New Grand Chain
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • New Grand Chain is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Grand Chain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
    • Ullin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Olmsted
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Pulaski
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Villa Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Villa Ridge is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Ridge
    • Mounds
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mounds is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounds
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
    • Mound City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Stonefort
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Carrier Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Carrier Mills is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrier Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,527 people
      • Former names for Carrier Mills:
      • Carriers Mills
      • Morrilsville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carrier Mills <1>
    • Ledford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Ledford is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledford
    • Mitchellsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mitchellsville is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellsville
    • Liberty
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Liberty is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Buena Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Buena Vista is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Gaskins City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Gaskins City is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaskins City
    • Harrisburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Galatia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Muddy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Lick Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Lick Creek is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
    • Water Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Water Valley is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
    • Dongola
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Anna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Anna is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Anna <1>
    • Cobden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jonesboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Dutch Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Dutch Mills is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Mills
    • Mill Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Mill Creek is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
    • Alto Pass
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Reynoldsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Reynoldsville is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
    • Wolf Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Lake Crest
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Lake Crest is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Crest
    • Creal Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Marion
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Marion is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,417 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Crainville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Crainville is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crainville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
    • Carterville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Spillertown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Spillertown is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spillertown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • Energy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Energy is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Energy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Energy <1>
    • Dewmaine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Dewmaine is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewmaine
    • Pittsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Whiteash
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Whiteash is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteash
      • Estimated population in 2014: 240 people
    • Colp
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Colp is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colp
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Former name for Colp:
      • Colpville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colp <1>
    • Herrin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Herrin is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,625 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Herrin <1>
    • Cambria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ballard County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Bandana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Bandana is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandana
    • Kevil
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Kevil is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kevil
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kevil <1>
    • La Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • McCracken County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Omar, with the one closest to Omar listed first.
    • Ragland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Ragland is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragland
    • Cimota City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Cimota City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimota City
    • Woodville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Woodville is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Grahamville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Grahamville is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahamville

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

Cemeteries Near Omar ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Omar.

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

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

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

  • Peterson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Jenkins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Simpson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Gurley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Allen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Chapman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Gibson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Caney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Stewart Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Toler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (514 more) ...
    • Calhoun Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Goddard Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Mosley Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)

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 Omar in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Omar.

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

  • Buncombe
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Goreville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Elvira
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Elvira is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elvira
  • Mount Pleasant
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Pleasant is located in Union County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
  • Bloomfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomfield is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
  • Sandburn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Sandburn is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandburn
  • Lick Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Lick Creek is located in Union County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
  • Moscow
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Moscow is located in Union County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
  • Vienna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Tunnel Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Parker
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Parker is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
  • Creal Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Simpson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Ozark
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Belknap
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Omar ...

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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around Omar.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Omar, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Omar.

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 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 Omar:

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 Omar, 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' (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- Omar) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.