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 Saint Joseph (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 Saint Joseph. 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 Saint Joseph ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Joseph: St. Joseph
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 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.
Saint Joseph is located in Champaign County.
To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Champaign County: Douglas, Edgar, Ford, McLean, Piatt & Vermilion.
Below are the counties that are near Saint Joseph. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Joseph:
- Champaign County (The home county of Saint Joseph)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Mayview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ogden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
- Ogden is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ogden <2>
- Royal
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rutherford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sidney
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
- Sidney is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,172 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <2>
- Homer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Homer is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,143 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer <2>
- Mira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Flatville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Urbana
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Philo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Philo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philo
- Philo is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Philo <2>
- Champaign
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Thomasboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomasboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasboro
- Thomasboro is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thomasboro <2>
- Savoy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Fairland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Fairland is located in Douglas County
- Villa Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Murdock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murdock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murdock
- Murdock is located in Douglas County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Murdock <2>
- Newman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hayes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Camargo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Patterson Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Chicken Bristle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Tuscola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuscola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscola
- Tuscola is located in Douglas County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,370 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tuscola <2>
- Ficklin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ficklin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ficklin
- Ficklin is located in Douglas County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Ficklin
- From Saint Joseph to Ficklin
- Kemp
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hindsboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Garrett
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garrett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrett
- Garrett is located in Douglas County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 160 people
- Edgar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Palermo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palermo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
- Palermo is located in Edgar County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Palermo
- From Saint Joseph to Palermo
- Hume
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hume have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hume
- Hume is located in Edgar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hume <2>
- Metcalf
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metcalf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalf
- Metcalf is located in Edgar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Metcalf <2>
- Brocton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Chrisman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chrisman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrisman
- Chrisman is located in Edgar County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,234 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chrisman <2>
- Bloomfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Paxton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paxton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
- Paxton is located in Ford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,117 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxton <2>
- Elliott
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Proctor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Proctor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Proctor
- From Saint Joseph to Proctor
- Gibson City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Iroquois County
- Loda
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
- Loda is located in Iroquois County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <2>
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Bellflower
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellflower have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellflower
- Bellflower is located in McLean County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellflower <2>
- Laurette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laurette. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
- Laurette is located in McLean County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Laurette
- From Saint Joseph to Laurette
- Piatt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Mansfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mansfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield
- Mansfield is located in Piatt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 939 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mansfield <2>
- White Heath
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Heath have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Heath
- White Heath is located in Piatt County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Heath <2>
- Monticello
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monticello have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Monticello is located in Piatt County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,557 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monticello <2>
- Vermilion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Fithian
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fithian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fithian
- Fithian is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fithian <2>
- Muncie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muncie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncie
- Muncie is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Muncie <2>
- Fairmount
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairmount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
- Fairmount is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairmount <2>
- Oakwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Oakwood is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,460 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakwood <2>
- Belgium Row
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Glenburn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Missionfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Newtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Collison
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Allerton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allerton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allerton
- Allerton is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 263 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allerton <2>
- Armstrong
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Catlin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlin
- Catlin is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,899 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Catlin <2>
- Hillery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hillery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillery
- Hillery is located in Vermilion County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Hillery
- From Saint Joseph to Hillery
- Vermillion County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Rileysburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Gessie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Warren County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- State Line City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Line City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line City
- State Line City is located in Warren County (IN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- State Line
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Foster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Joseph, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Joseph.
Cemeteries Near Saint Joseph ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Joseph.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Joseph covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Patterson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Peters Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Burris - Hartman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Loeffler Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Old Huss Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Umbenhower Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Friends Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Stearns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bill Huss Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bliss Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (270 more) ...
- Old Homer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Homer Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bodkin 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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Joseph had a population of 552 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Joseph had a population of 3,800 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Joseph, with the one closest to Saint Joseph listed first.
- Mayview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ogden
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
- Ogden is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ogden <2>
- Deers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deers
- Deers is located in Champaign County
- Sidney
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
- Sidney is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,172 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <2>
- Homer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Homer is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,143 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer <2>
- Royal
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sellers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sellers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Sellers is located in Champaign County
- Mira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Fithian
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fithian have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fithian
- Fithian is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fithian <2>
- Flatville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Philo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Philo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philo
- Philo is located in Champaign County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Philo <2>
- Hope
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Hope is located in Vermilion County
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Muncie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muncie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncie
- Muncie is located in Vermilion County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Muncie <2>
- Leverett
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leverett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leverett
- Leverett is located in Champaign County
- Champaign
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saint Joseph. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Joseph.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Joseph ...
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 116 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Joseph.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint Joseph. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint Joseph and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint Joseph.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6> of Saint Joseph.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Saint Joseph:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Champaign County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Douglas County
- Edgar County
- Ford County
- Iroquois County
- McLean County
- Piatt County
- Vermilion County
- Vermillion County
- Warren County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Saint Joseph. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Champaign County: www.co.champaign.il.us/
The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov
Footnotes ...
<1> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<4> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Saint Joseph, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | 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- Saint Joseph) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint Joseph. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1132, Longitude: -88.0346 |