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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 Sheldons Grove (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 Sheldons Grove. 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 Sheldons Grove ...

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 occur.

  • A typical abbreviation for Sheldons Grove: Sheldons Grv.
  • While the name of this community is Sheldons Grove, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Sheldons Grove may originally have been Sheldon's Grove.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Sheldons Grove might be written as Sheldon Grove.

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 northwest 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 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.

Sheldons Grove is located in Schuyler 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 Schuyler County: Adams, Brown, Cass, Fulton, Hancock, Mason & McDonough.

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

  • Schuyler County     (The home county of Sheldons Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Bluff City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Bader
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Bader is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
    • Browning
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Frederick
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Rushville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Littleton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Wayland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Wayland is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
    • Camden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Huntsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Ripley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Ripley is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Cooperstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Cooperstown is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
    • Gilbirds
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Gilbirds is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
    • Hersman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Hersman is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
    • Mount Sterling
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Versailles
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Chandlerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Bluff Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Beardstown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jules
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jules is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
    • Virginia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Hagener
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Hagener is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Burlingame
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Burlingame is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Newmansville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Philadelphia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Arenzville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Astoria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Marbletown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
    • Summum
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Summum is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
    • Vermont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ipava
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Sepo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Table Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lewistown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Liverpool
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cuba
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <2>
    • Bryant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Snicarte
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Snicarte is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
    • Bath
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • White City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • White City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Long Branch
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • Kilbourne
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Havana
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Poplar City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Buzzville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Topeka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Easton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Goofy Ridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Teheran
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Industry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Adair
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Doddsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Doddsville is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
    • New Philadelphia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Bardolph
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bushnell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • East Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • East Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • University Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • University Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Lamone Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
    • Macomb
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Macomb is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <2>
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Oakford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Tallula
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Petersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sheldons Grove, with the one closest to Sheldons Grove listed first.
    • Arcadia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Literberry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Concord
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Prentice
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
    • Meredosia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Chapin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Morgan City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Morgan City is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan City
    • Jacksonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Pike County
  • Sangamon County
    • Pleasant Plains
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Sheldons Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sheldons Grove.

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 Sheldons Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Jones Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Sheldon's Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Price Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Salisbury Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Bates Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Order Baptist Brethren Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Bluff City Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • South Fulton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Browning Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Astoria Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Bader Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (478 more) ...
    • Woodland Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Roat Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Snicarte Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)

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 Sheldons Grove had a population of 39 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bluff City
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
  • Bader
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Bader is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
  • Browning
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Snicarte
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Snicarte is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
  • Leesburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Leesburg is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
  • Astoria
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Marbletown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
  • Summum
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Summum is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
  • Saidora
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Saidora is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saidora
  • Bath
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Frederick
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Ray
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Ray is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Pleasant View
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Pleasant View is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Chandlerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Matanzas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Matanzas is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matanzas

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

Newspapers Published in Sheldons Grove ...

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 126 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sheldons Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sheldons Grove, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sheldons Grove.

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 Sheldons Grove:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Sheldons Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Sheldons Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.