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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 Pana (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 Pana. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Pana is primarily located in Christian County. A portion of Pana extends into Shelby 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 Pana. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Pana:

  • Christian County     (The home county of Pana)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Rosamond
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Millersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Millersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
    • Owaneco
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Assumption
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Velma
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Velma is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
    • Sandersville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Sandersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
    • Clarksdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Taylorville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Stonington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Langleyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Palmer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Morrisonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Beecher City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Beecher City is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
    • Moccasin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
    • Shumway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Altamont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Dexter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Dexter is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Dressor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
    • Ramsey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Holliday
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Holliday is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliday
    • Bayle City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Bayle City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayle City
    • Bingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Avena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Avena is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
    • Brownstown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Howards Point is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
    • Saint Elmo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Vandalia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Bluff City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bluff City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Hagarstown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Blue Mound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Macon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Boody
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Elwin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hervey City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hervey City is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hervey City
    • Mount Zion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Turpin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Turpin is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turpin
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Ohlman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Nokomis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wenonah
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Coalton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Witt
      (17 miles [27.4 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>
    • Fillmore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Irving
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
    • Harvel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Hillsboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Schram City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Schram City is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
    • Coffeen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Moultrie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Bethany
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Dalton City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Dunn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Dunn is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
    • Sullivan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Cushman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cushman is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushman
  • Sangamon County
    • Pawnee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pana, with the one closest to Pana listed first.
    • Tower Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Oconee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Lakewood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Herrick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Yantisville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Yantisville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville
    • Shelbyville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Cowden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Moweaqua
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Fancher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Fancher is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
    • Middlesworth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth
    • Findlay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Mode
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Mode is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode

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

Cemeteries Near Pana ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pana.

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

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

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

  • Linwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Mound Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Rosamond Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Oconee Mound Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Eiler Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Mautz Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Millersville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ohlman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (366 more) ...
    • Liston Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Tower Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Middlesworth Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Pana had a population of 5,077 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Pana had a population of 5,327 people.

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

  • Rosamond
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Dunkel
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Dunkel is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkel
  • Tower Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Millersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Millersville is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
  • Ohlman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Oconee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Owaneco
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Assumption
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Lakewood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
  • Henton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Henton is located in Shelby County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henton
  • Herrick
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Velma
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Velma is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Radford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Radford is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
    • Dressor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
    • Yantisville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Yantisville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Pana ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pana.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Pana. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Pana and those printed in the larger area surrounding Pana.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Pana.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Pana:

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 Pana, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Pana) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.