Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Selma. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Selma to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Selma, please Contact Us.
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 Selma (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 Selma. 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 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Selma is historic, it would have been located within present day Wabash 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 Wabash County: Edwards, Lawrence, Richland, Gibson (IN) & Knox (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Selma. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Selma:
- Wabash County (The home county of Selma)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Mount Carmel
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Patton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Patton is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Adams Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Adams Corner is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
- Allendale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Keensburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Orio
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Orio is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orio
- Bellmont
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Lancaster
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lancaster is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
- Crawford County
- Oil Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Oil Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil Grove
- Edwards County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mills Prairie is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills Prairie
- Bone Gap
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Browns
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- West Salem
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- West Salem is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 844 people
- Red Top
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Red Top is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
- Albion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Maple Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Maple Grove is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
- Marion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Marion is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Bennington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bennington is located in Edwards County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
- Ellery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Petersburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Saint Francisville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Helena
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Helena is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Billett
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Billett is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billett
- Bridgeport
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sumner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lawrenceville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Birds
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Russellville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Berryville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Berryville is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Parkersburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Calhoun
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Claremont
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Amity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Amity is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
- Gallagher
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gallagher is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
- Olney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wynoose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wynoose is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Golden Gate
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Erie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Grayville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Calvin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Calvin is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Crossville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Phillipstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Phillipstown is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
- Burnt Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Davies's County (IN)
- Sandy Hook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sandy Hook is located in Davies's County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
- Gibson County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Patoka
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Patoka is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 784 people
- Princeton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Owensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Hazleton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Mounts
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mounts is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounts
- Douglas
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Douglas is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Fort Branch
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Giro
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Giro is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giro
- Francisco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Francisco is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
- Haubstadt
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Warrenton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Warrenton is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenton
- Buckskin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Buckskin is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckskin
- Knox County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Beal
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beal is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal
- Decker
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Decker is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
- Vincennes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Verne
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Verne is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verne
- Willis
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Willis is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
- Fritchton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fritchton is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fritchton
- Monroe City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Monroe City is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
- Wheatland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wheatland is located in Knox County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 469 people
- Bruceville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pike County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Union
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Union is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Oatsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Oatsville is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatsville
- Glezen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Glezen is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glezen
- Oakland City Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Oakland City Junction is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland City Junction
- Petersburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Petersburg is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,299 people
- Alford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Alford is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alford
- Winslow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Spurgeon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Spurgeon is located in Pike County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurgeon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
- Posey County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Cynthiana
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Barrett
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Barrett is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrett
- Poseyville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Stewartsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Stewartsville is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartsville
- Griffin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Griffin is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
- Saint Wendel
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Saint Wendel is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Wendel
- Wadesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- New Harmony
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Blairsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Blairsville is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Hepburn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hepburn is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepburn
- Oliver
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Oliver is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
- Springfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Springfield is located in Posey County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Vanderburgh County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Martin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Martin is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Stacer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Stacer is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacer
- Armstrong
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Armstrong is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Darmstadt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Darmstadt is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darmstadt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
- Inglefield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Daylight
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Daylight is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daylight
- McCutchanville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- McCutchanville is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCutchanville
- Highland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Highland is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Kasson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Kasson is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Melody Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Melody Hill is located in Vanderburgh County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melody Hill
- Warrick County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Wheatonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wheatonville is located in Warrick County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatonville
- Elberfeld
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lynnville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Selma, see our County-by-County Page for Selma.
Cemeteries Near Selma ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Selma.
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 Selma - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Selma covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Sand Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Lingenfelter Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Highland Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Potters Field Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Beauchamp & Harper Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Scott Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chapman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Orrville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Woods Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Harper Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (397 more) ...
- Spidle Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Adams Corner Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Stillwell Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.
While we didn't find Selma in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Selma.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Selma, with the one closest to Selma listed first.
- Mount Carmel
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Patton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Patton is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Maud
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Maud is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maud
- Lyles
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lyles is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyles
- Friendsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Friendsville is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendsville
- Allendale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Keensburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Patoka
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Patoka is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 784 people
- Bellmont
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Gards Point
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Gards Point is located in Wabash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gards Point
- Princeton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Owensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- McGary
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- McGary is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGary
- Petersburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- King
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- King is located in Gibson County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Selma. See our List of 1890's Communities around Selma.
Newspapers Published in Selma ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Selma.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Selma, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Selma.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Selma:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Wabash County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Crawford County
- Edwards County
- Lawrence County
- Richland County
- Wayne County
- White County
- Davies's County
- Gibson County
- Knox County
- Pike County
- Posey County
- Vanderburgh County
- Warrick County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Selma, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Selma) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |