RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Crawford County >> Pierceburg >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Pierceburg (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 Pierceburg. 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 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 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.

Pierceburg is located in Crawford 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 Crawford County: Clark, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Knox (IN) & Sullivan (IN).

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

  • Crawford County     (The home county of Pierceburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Green Brier
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Green Brier is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Brier
    • Hardinville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Hardinville is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardinville
    • Oblong
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Oil Center
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Oil Center is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil Center
    • Landes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Landes is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landes
    • Stoy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoy is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoy <1>
    • New Hebron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • New Hebron is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hebron
    • Villas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Villas is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villas
    • Dogwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Dogwood is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood
    • Kibbie ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Kibbie is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
    • Robinson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Duncanville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Duncanville is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncanville
    • Flat Rock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Hogue Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Hogue Town is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogue Town
    • Oak Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Oak Point is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
    • Melrose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Melrose is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
    • York
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • York is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • West Union
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • West Union is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
    • Casey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cumberland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Cumberland is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
    • Snyder
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Snyder is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
    • Martinsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Clark Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Clark Center is located in Clark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clark Center
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Ingraham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Sailor Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Camp Travis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Camp Travis is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Travis
    • Clay City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Hazel Dell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Hazel Dell is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Dell
    • Walla Walla
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Walla Walla is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walla Walla
    • Greenup
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jewett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Timothy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Timothy is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timothy
    • Union Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Union Center is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
    • Toledo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Toledo is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toledo <1>
  • Edwards County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Marion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Marion is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • West Salem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • West Salem is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
    • Maple Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Maple Grove is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Mills Prairie is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills Prairie
    • Bennington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bennington is located in Edwards County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Dieterich
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Montrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Montrose is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Sainte Marie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Willow Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hunt City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hunt City is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt City
    • West Liberty
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • West Liberty is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
    • Yale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Newton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Falmouth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Falmouth is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
    • Rose Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Rose Hill is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 80 people
    • Bogota
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Bogota is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogota
    • Lis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Lis is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lis
    • Hidalgo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Wheeler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Birds
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sumner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Bridgeport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lawrenceville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Russellville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Helena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Helena is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
    • Billett
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Billett is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billett
    • Petersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Saint Francisville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Amity
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Amity is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
    • Dundas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Claremont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Olney
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Olney is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olney <1>
    • Wakefield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Wakefield is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield
    • Calhoun
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Passport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Passport is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passport
    • Berryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Berryville is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Noble
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Parkersburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Gallagher
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Gallagher is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
    • Wynoose
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wynoose is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
  • Wabash County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Lancaster
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Lancaster is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
    • Orio
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Orio is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orio
    • Allendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Adams Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Adams Corner is located in Wabash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
  • Knox County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Busseron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Busseron is located in Knox County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busseron
    • Oaktown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Vincennes
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Beal
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Beal is located in Knox County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal
    • Bruceville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sullivan County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pierceburg, with the one closest to Pierceburg listed first.
    • Merom
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Merom is located in Sullivan County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 214 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Merom <1>
    • Graysville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Graysville is located in Sullivan County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graysville
    • New Lebanon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Carlisle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Paxton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Paxton is located in Sullivan County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
    • Fairbanks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairbanks is located in Sullivan County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
    • Scott City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Scott City is located in Sullivan County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott City
    • Sullivan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Sullivan is located in Sullivan County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,089 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sullivan <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Pierceburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pierceburg.

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

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

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

  • Berlin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Prior Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Ste. Valentine Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Yager Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Keplinger Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hardinville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Prier Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Oblong Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Waggoner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Waggoner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Jones Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (450 more) ...
    • Richart Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Dark Bend Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sears 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>

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

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

  • Hardinville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Hardinville is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardinville
  • Oblong
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Landes
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Landes is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landes
  • Chauncey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Chauncey is located in Lawrence County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chauncey
  • Stoy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Stoy is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoy
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoy <1>
  • Sainte Marie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Rafetown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rafetown is located in Jasper County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rafetown
  • Willow Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Stringtown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Stringtown is located in Richland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
  • Villas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Villas is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villas
  • New Hebron
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • New Hebron is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hebron
  • Kibbie ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Kibbie is located in Crawford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • West Liberty
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • West Liberty is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
    • Amity
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Amity is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
    • Westport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Westport is located in Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport

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

Newspapers Published in Pierceburg ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pierceburg.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pierceburg, 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 Pierceburg.

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 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 Pierceburg:

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