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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 Riverton (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 Riverton. 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 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.

Riverton is located in Sangamon 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 Sangamon County: Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery & Morgan.

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

  • Sangamon County     (The home county of Riverton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Spaulding
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Spaulding is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 836 people
    • Clear Lake
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Dawson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Sherman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Grandview
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Grandview is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,369 people
    • Ridgely
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Ridgely is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
    • Buffalo Hart
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
    • Rochester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Buffalo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Williamsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Hawthorne Place
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hawthorne Place is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne Place
    • Springfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Ashland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Newmansville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Gurney ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Gurney is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurney
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Philadelphia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Bolivia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolivia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
    • Mount Auburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Edinburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Grove City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Grove City is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Bulpitt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Tovey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Tovey is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tovey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tovey <1>
    • Sharpsburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Jeisyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Kincaid
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Zenobia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
    • Langleyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Stonington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Kenney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Midland City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Midland City is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland City
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Cornland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Elkhart
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Lake Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Broadwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Broadwell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Middletown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Mount Pulaski
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Chestervale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Chestervale is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestervale
    • Latham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lincoln
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • New Holland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Chestnut
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Bell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Bell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Niantic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Blue Mound
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Harristown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Boody
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Warrensburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Bearsdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Bearsdale is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearsdale
    • Elwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Macon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Virden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Girard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Mason City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Natrona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Natrona is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
    • Teheran
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Athens
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Croft
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
    • Greenview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Petersburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Tallula
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Oakford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • White Oak
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Farmersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Riverton, with the one closest to Riverton listed first.
    • Prentice
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Alexander
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Waverly
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Riverton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Riverton.

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

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

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

  • Ladysmith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Camp Butler National Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Roselawn Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Mallory Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Martin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Bissell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bissell Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bissell Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the northeast of Springfield.
    • The Bissell Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Churchill Cemetery
    • German Prairie Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104767 <2>
  • Bice Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Wolf Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Buffalo Hart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Springfield.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • German Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104996 <2>
  • Continue List   (279 more) ...
    • Oak Ridge Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Lincoln Tomb
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Rochester Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Riverton had a population of 1,127 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Riverton had a population of 3,430 people.

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

  • Spaulding
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Spaulding is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 836 people
  • Barclay
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Barclay is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
  • Dawson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Sherman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Ridgely
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Ridgely is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
  • Rochester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Buffalo Hart
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
  • Springfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Buffalo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Williamsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mechanicsburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Berry
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Berry is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cornland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cantrall
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fancy Prairie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Fancy Prairie is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Prairie

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Riverton ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Riverton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Riverton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Riverton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Riverton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3> of Riverton.

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 Riverton:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Riverton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Riverton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.