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 Poplar Ridge (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 Poplar Ridge. 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.
Name Variations for Poplar Ridge ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Poplar Ridge: Poplar Rdg. (or less commonly used: Poplar Rdge. or Poplar Ridg.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Poplar Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Poplar Ridge.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Poplar Ridge is located in Jackson 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 Jackson County: Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Union, Williamson & Perry (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Poplar Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Poplar Ridge:
- Jackson County (The home county of Poplar Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Murphysboro
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pomona
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Gorham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Carbondale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Grand Tower
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jacob
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Makanda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Oraville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- De Soto
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Vergennes
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Hallidayboro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hallidayboro is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallidayboro
- Ava
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Elkville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- McClure
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- East Cape Girardeau
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- East Cape Girardeau is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cape Girardeau
- Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
- Elco
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Royalton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Zeigler
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mulkeytown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Plumfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Plumfield is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumfield
- Cambon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cambon is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambon
- Christopher
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Coello
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- North City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- North City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Orient
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buckner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Frankfort
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Frankfort is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Frankfort
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,733 people
- Valier
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Deering City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Deering City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deering City
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Goreville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Deer Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Deer Ridge is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Ridge
- Eagle Point Bay
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Eagle Point Bay is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point Bay
- Buncombe
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Egyptian Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Egyptian Hills is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egyptian Hills
- Cypress
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Pyatts
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Pyatts is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyatts
- Denmark
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Denmark is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
- Du Quoin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Du Quoin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Quoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,591 people
- Willisville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Johns
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Saint Johns is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Conant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Conant is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
- Cutler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pinckneyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sunfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sunfield is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunfield
- Pulaski County
- Ullin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Rockwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Shiloh Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Shiloh Hill is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Hill
- Leanderville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Leanderville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leanderville
- Percy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Welge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Welge is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welge
- Steeleville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bremen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Chester
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Menard
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Alto Pass
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Cobden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wolf Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Water Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Water Valley is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
- Anna
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jonesboro
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dutch Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Dutch Mills is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Mills
- Lick Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lick Creek is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
- Reynoldsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Reynoldsville is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
- Mount Pleasant
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Mill Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mill Creek is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- Dongola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Cambria
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Blairsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Blairsville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Hurst
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Carterville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Dewmaine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Dewmaine is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewmaine
- Bush
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bush is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
- Population from the 2020 Census: 263 people
- Crainville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Crainville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crainville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
- Colp
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- 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>
- Energy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Herrin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Herrin Junction ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Herrin Junction is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrin Junction
- Freeman Spur
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman Spur is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Spur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
- Freeman Spur has also been known as:
- Freeman Spur village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeman Spur <1>
- Marion
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Shawneetown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Shawneetown is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawneetown
- Leemon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Leemon is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemon
- Pocahontas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Old Appleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Old Appleton is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Appleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Oak Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Daisy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Daisy is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
- Jackson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jackson is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,699 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <1>
- Friedheim
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Cape Girardeau
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Millersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Perry County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Altenburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Frohna
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Frohna is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frohna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
- Brazeau
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Brazeau is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazeau
- Farrar
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Farrar is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
- Uniontown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Uniontown is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Eureka
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Eureka is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Longtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Longtown is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Biehle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Biehle is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biehle
- Perryville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- McBride
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- McBride is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
- Sereno
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Sereno is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
- Millheim
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Millheim is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millheim
- Lithium
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lithium is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithium
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Poplar Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Poplar Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Poplar Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Poplar Ridge.
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 Poplar Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Poplar Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Poplar Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Bostick Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Etherton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Worthen Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Hiller - Crab Orchard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mt. Carbon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Stearns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dutch Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Grove Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hall Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Murphysboro City Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (435 more) ...
- St. Andrews Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Tower Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Grove Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Tower Grove Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Murphysboro.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108559 <2>
- Creath Morris 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.<3>
While we didn't find Poplar Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Poplar Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Poplar Ridge, with the one closest to Poplar Ridge listed first.
- Murphysboro
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sand Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sand Ridge is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
- Pomona
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Harrison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Harrison is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Grand Tower
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Boskydell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Boskydell is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boskydell
- Carbondale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Grange Hall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Grange Hall is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange Hall
- Wittenberg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wittenberg is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
- Alto Pass
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Makanda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Aldridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Aldridge is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aldridge
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- De Soto
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oraville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Altenburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Poplar Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Poplar Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Poplar Ridge ...
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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Poplar Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Poplar Ridge, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Poplar Ridge.
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 helpful 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 Poplar Ridge:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Jackson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Franklin County
- Johnson County
- Perry County
- Pulaski County
- Randolph County
- Union County
- Williamson County
- Cape Girardeau County
- Perry County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | 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 Poplar Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Poplar Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |