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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 Peterville (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 Peterville. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Peterville is located in Mason 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 Mason County: Cass, Fulton, Logan, Menard, Schuyler & Tazewell.

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

  • Mason County     (The home county of Peterville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Long Branch
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • Poplar City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Kilbourne
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Havana
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Easton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Topeka
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bath
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • White City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • White City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Teheran
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
    • Buzzville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Goofy Ridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Forest City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Snicarte
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Snicarte is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Newmansville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Chandlerville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Philadelphia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Virginia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ashland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Gurney ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Gurney is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
    • Burlingame
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Burlingame is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Jules
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jules is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
    • Bluff Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Princeton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Old Princeton is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Princeton
    • Oak Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Beardstown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Sepo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Marbletown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
    • Liverpool
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Lewistown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Summum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Summum is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
    • Bryant
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Dunfermline
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Saint David
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Ipava
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Astoria
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Banner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Cuba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Breeds
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • New Holland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Middletown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Emden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Hartsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Broadwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Broadwell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Elkhart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McDonough County
    • Adair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Oakford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Greenview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Petersburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Tallula
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Athens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Croft
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Prentice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Literberry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Arcadia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Glasford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Kingston Mines
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mapleton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Pleasant Plains
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Salisbury
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Salisbury is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Cantrall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Williamsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Sherman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Bluff City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Bader
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Bader is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
    • Browning
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Frederick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Rushville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Peterville, with the one closest to Peterville listed first.
    • Radville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville
    • Winkel ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Winkel is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkel
    • Parkland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Parkland is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
    • Green Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Talbott
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Talbott is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbott
    • Delavan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • South Pekin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • South Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
    • Stoehrs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoehrs is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoehrs
    • Hawley ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hawley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
    • Midway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Midway is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Powerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Powerton is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powerton
    • Crescent
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Crescent is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Brownwood ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brownwood is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood

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

Cemeteries Near Peterville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Peterville.

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

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

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

  • Chaney Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Jones Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Baker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Morgan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • New Lebanon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Samm's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Steging Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Kilbourne Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Kilbourne Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Holstlaw Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (354 more) ...
    • Laurel Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sear's Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Neteler Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Conover
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Conover is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conover
  • Poplar City
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Kelsey
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Kelsey is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
  • Kilbourne
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Matanzas
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Matanzas is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matanzas
  • Havana
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bath
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Oakford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Easton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Topeka
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Teheran
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Teheran is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
  • Bishop
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bishop is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Sepo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Marbletown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
    • Saidora
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Saidora is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saidora

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

Newspapers Published in Peterville ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Peterville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Peterville, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Peterville.

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 Peterville:

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 Peterville, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Peterville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.