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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 Sicily (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 Sicily. 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 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 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.

Sicily is located in Christian 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 Christian County: Macon, Montgomery, Sangamon & Shelby.

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

  • Christian County     (The home county of Sicily)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Tovey
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Bulpitt
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jeisyville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Kincaid
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Zenobia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
    • Langleyville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Sharpsburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Edinburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Clarksdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Taylorville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Palmer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Morrisonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Cornland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lake Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Elkhart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Blue Mound
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Niantic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Boody
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Macon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Harristown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Elwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Virden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Girard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Nilwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Standard City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Standard City is located in Macoupin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standard City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
    • Modesto
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Palmyra
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Carlinville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Menard County
    • Athens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • White Oak
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Farmersville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Harvel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Waggoner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Raymond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Wenonah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Nokomis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ohlman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Shop Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Shop Creek is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shop Creek
    • Coalton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Honey Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Honey Bend is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Bend
    • Witt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Witt is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Witt <1>
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Waverly
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Franklin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Alexander
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Pawnee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • New City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • New City is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • Commanche Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Commanche Village is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commanche Village
    • Divernon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Glenarm
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Rochester
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Chatham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodside
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodside is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
    • Auburn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Southern View
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Southern View is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southern View
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,557 people
    • Thayer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Clear Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sicily, with the one closest to Sicily listed first.
    • Moweaqua
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Oconee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Sicily ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sicily.

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

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

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

  • Bethany Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Finley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Achenback Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Horse Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Goode Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Breckenridge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Durbin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Langley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (283 more) ...
    • Edinburg Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Vigal Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • South Fork Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.<2>

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

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

  • Zenobia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Zenobia is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
  • Pawnee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • White Oak
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
  • New City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • New City is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
  • Sharpsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
  • Edinburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Breckenridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Breckenridge is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckenridge
  • Divernon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Berry
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Berry is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry
  • Glenarm
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Pawnee Junction
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Pawnee Junction is located in Sangamon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pawnee Junction
  • Clarksdale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Palmer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Taylorville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Cotton Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cotton Hill is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill

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

Newspapers Published in Sicily ...

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 231 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sicily.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sicily, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sicily.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Sicily:

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