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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 Renshaw (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 Renshaw. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Renshaw is located in Pope 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 Pope County: Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Saline, Williamson & Livingston (KY).

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

  • Pope County     (The home county of Renshaw)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Dixon Springs
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Dixon Springs is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon Springs
    • Rock
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rock is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
    • Glendale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Glendale is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Golconda
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Eddyville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bay City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bay City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
    • McCormick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • McCormick is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCormick
    • Lusk
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lusk is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lusk
    • Leisure City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Leisure City is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure City
    • Hartsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartsville is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • Oak
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
    • Herod
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hamletsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Shetlerville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Shetlerville is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shetlerville
    • Mineral City ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Mineral City is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
    • Rosiclare
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Elizabethtown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Karbers Ridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rock Creek is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Cave-In-Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Cave-In-Rock is located in Hardin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave-In-Rock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
      • Cave-In-Rock has also been known as:
      • Cave-In-Rock village
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Reevesville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Reevesville is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reevesville
    • Grantsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Wartrace
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wartrace is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartrace
    • Simpson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bender ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Bender is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bender
    • Reynoldsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Reynoldsburg is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsburg
    • Vienna
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Ozark
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Belknap
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • New Burnside
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Buncombe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Cypress
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Egyptian Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Egyptian Hills is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egyptian Hills
  • Massac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Big Bay
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Big Bay is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
    • New Columbia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • New Columbia is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
    • Joppa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Massac City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Massac City is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac City
    • Metropolis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Brookport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Shady Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Shady Grove is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
    • Unionville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Unionville is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
  • Pulaski County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Karnak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • New Grand Chain
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • New Grand Chain is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Grand Chain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
    • Grand Chain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Perks
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Olmsted
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ullin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Pulaski
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Saline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Stonefort
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Mitchellsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Mitchellsville is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchellsville
    • Carrier Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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 north)
      • Ledford is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledford
    • Liberty
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Liberty is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Buena Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Buena Vista is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Gaskins City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Gaskins City is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaskins City
    • Harrisburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Muddy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Cottage Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cottage Grove is located in Saline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Lick Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lick Creek is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
    • Dongola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Water Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Water Valley is located in Union County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
  • Williamson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Creal Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Crest
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Crest is located in Williamson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Crest
    • Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Pittsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Ballard County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Bandana
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bandana is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandana
    • Kevil
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Ceredo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Ceredo is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceredo
    • La Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lovelaceville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Lovelaceville is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelaceville
    • Gage
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Gage is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gage
    • Barlow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Barlow is located in Ballard County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
  • Crittenden County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Tolu
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Tolu is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolu
    • Sheridan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Sheridan is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Dycusburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Dycusburg is located in Crittenden County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dycusburg
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 26 people
  • Graves County (KY)
    • Melber
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Melber is located in Graves County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melber
  • Livingston County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Carrsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Carrsville is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44 people
    • Hampton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Hampton is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Burna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Burna is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burna
    • Lola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Lola is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lola
    • Smithland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ledbetter
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Salem
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Salem is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 717 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
    • Pinckneyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pinckneyville is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinckneyville
    • Tiline
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tiline is located in Livingston County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiline
  • Marshall County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Calvert City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Calvert City is located in Marshall County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvert City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,509 people
      • Calvert City has also been known as:
      • Calvert
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calvert City <1>
    • Sharpe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Sharpe is located in Marshall County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpe
    • Gilbertsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McCracken County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Renshaw, with the one closest to Renshaw listed first.
    • Grahamville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Grahamville is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahamville
    • Ragland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ragland is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragland
    • Paducah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Paducah is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paducah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,883 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paducah <1>
    • West Paducah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Cimota City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Cimota City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimota City
    • Woodville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodville is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Future City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Future City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Future City
    • Hendron
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Hendron is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendron
    • Lone Oak
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Lone Oak is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Oak
    • West Future City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • West Future City is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Future City
    • Oakdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Oakdale is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
    • Camelia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Camelia is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelia
    • Massac
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Massac is located in McCracken County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massac

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

Cemeteries Near Renshaw ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Renshaw.

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

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

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

  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Cox Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Henley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Dixon Springs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Sassafras Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Roland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Shedville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Austin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Nelson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • McClanahan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (537 more) ...
    • Temple Hill Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple Hill Cemetery
      • The Temple Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Cole Springs Cemetery
    • Kerley Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ragsdale Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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.<4>

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

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

  • Allens Spring
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Allens Spring is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Spring
  • Reevesville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Reevesville is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reevesville
  • Big Bay
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Bay is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bay
  • Temple Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Temple Hill is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple Hill
  • Grantsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Rock
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock
  • Samoth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Samoth is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samoth
  • New Columbia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • New Columbia is located in Massac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbia
  • Waltersburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Waltersburg is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltersburg
  • Glendale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Glendale is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
  • Wartrace
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Wartrace is located in Johnson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wartrace
  • Rosebud
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosebud is located in Pope County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosebud
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Round Knob
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Round Knob is located in Massac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Knob
    • Tansill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Tansill is located in Pope County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tansill
    • Simpson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Renshaw ...

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 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Renshaw.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Renshaw, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Renshaw.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Renshaw:

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>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- Renshaw) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Renshaw, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.