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 Southern Hills (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 Southern Hills. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Southern Hills is located in Jackson 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 Jackson County: Franklin, Perry, Randolph, Union, Williamson & Perry (MO).
Below are the counties that are near Southern Hills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Southern Hills:
- Jackson County (The home county of Southern Hills)
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Carbondale
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Makanda
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- De Soto
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Murphysboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pomona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hallidayboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Hallidayboro is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallidayboro
- Elkville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Oraville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Vergennes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gorham
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Dowell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Grand Tower
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Elco
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- McClure
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Royalton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Zeigler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cambon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cambon is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambon
- Plumfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Plumfield is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumfield
- Mulkeytown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Orient
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Christopher
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Frankfort
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Frankfort is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Frankfort
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,733 people
- Coello
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- North City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- North City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Buckner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Deering City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Deering City is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deering City
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Goreville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Deer Ridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Deer Ridge is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Ridge
- Eagle Point Bay
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Eagle Point Bay is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point Bay
- Egyptian Hills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Egyptian Hills is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egyptian Hills
- Buncombe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Burnside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cypress
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ozark
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Vienna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Reynoldsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Reynoldsburg is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsburg
- Bender ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bender is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bender
- Simpson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Du Quoin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Du Quoin is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Du Quoin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,591 people
- Saint Johns
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Saint Johns is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
- Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
- Pyatts
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pyatts is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pyatts
- Sunfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sunfield is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunfield
- Denmark
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Denmark is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
- Pinckneyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Conant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Conant is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conant
- Willisville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tamaroa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cutler
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Perks
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ullin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Shiloh Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Shiloh Hill is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Hill
- Rockwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Leanderville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leanderville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leanderville
- Percy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saline County
- Stonefort
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Water Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Water Valley is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
- Alto Pass
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cobden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Lick Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lick Creek is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
- Anna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Jonesboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mount Pleasant
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Wolf Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dutch Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Dutch Mills is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Mills
- Dongola
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Mill Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mill Creek is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64 people
- Reynoldsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Reynoldsville is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
- Williamson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Cambria
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Crainville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Crainville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crainville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
- Blairsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Blairsville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Carterville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hurst
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Dewmaine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dewmaine is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewmaine
- Bush
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bush is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
- Population from the 2020 Census: 263 people
- Colp
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Colp is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colp
- Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
- Former name for Colp:
- Colpville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colp <1>
- Energy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Herrin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Herrin Junction ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Herrin Junction is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrin Junction
- Freeman Spur
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman Spur is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Spur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
- Freeman Spur has also been known as:
- Freeman Spur village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeman Spur <1>
- Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Leemon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Leemon is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemon
- Shawneetown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shawneetown is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawneetown
- Pocahontas
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Old Appleton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Old Appleton is located in Cape Girardeau County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Appleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Perry County (MO)
- The following are listed by their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Altenburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Frohna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Frohna is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frohna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
- Brazeau
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Brazeau is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazeau
- Farrar
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Farrar is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrar
- Eureka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Eureka is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Uniontown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Uniontown is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Longtown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Longtown is located in Perry County (MO)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Southern Hills, see our County-by-County Page for Southern Hills.
Cemeteries Near Southern Hills ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Southern Hills.
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 Southern Hills - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Southern Hills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Snider Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Winchester Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Winchester Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Boskydell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Oakland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Union Hills Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stearns Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- South County Line Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- North County Line Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hiller - Crab Orchard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Dillinger Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (447 more) ...
- Lipe Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hilton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<3>
While we didn't find Southern Hills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Southern Hills.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Southern Hills, with the one closest to Southern Hills listed first.
- Carbondale
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Boskydell
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Boskydell is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boskydell
- Makanda
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Fredonia ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fredonia is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
- De Soto
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Pomona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Crainville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Crainville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crainville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
- Carterville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Blairsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Blairsville is located in Williamson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Murphysboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Harrison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Harrison is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Alto Pass
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Grange Hall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Grange Hall is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grange Hall
- Mountain Glen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Mountain Glen is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Glen
- Cobden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Southern Hills. See our List of 1890's Communities around Southern Hills.
Newspapers Published in Southern Hills ...
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 151 newspapers that have been published in the area around Southern Hills.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Southern Hills, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Southern Hills.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Southern Hills:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Jackson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Franklin County
- Johnson County
- Perry County
- Pulaski County
- Randolph County
- Saline County
- Union County
- Williamson County
- Cape Girardeau County
- Perry County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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> | 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 Southern Hills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Southern Hills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |