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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 Southmore Heights (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 Southmore Heights. 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 Southmore Heights ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Southmore Heights: Southmore Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 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.

Southmore Heights is located in Effingham 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 Effingham County: Clay, Cumberland, Fayette, Jasper & Shelby.

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

  • Effingham County     (The home county of Southmore Heights)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Altamont
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Dexter
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Dexter is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
    • Gilmore
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
    • Moccasin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
    • Funkhouser
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
    • Watson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Beecher City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Beecher City is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
    • Edgewood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mason
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Mason is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <1>
    • Shumway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Heartville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Heartville is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heartville
    • Effingham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Bond County
    • Mulberry Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Christian County
    • Pana
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Pana is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pana <1>
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Iola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Louisville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Ingraham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Xenia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Sailor Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Kenner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Kenner is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenner
    • Flora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Neoga
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Neoga is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neoga
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,585 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Neoga <1>
    • Jewett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Saint Elmo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Howards Point ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Howards Point is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
    • Avena
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Avena is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
    • La Clede
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • La Clede is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Clede
    • Loogootee
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Brownstown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Holliday
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Holliday is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliday
    • Saint Peter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Farina
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bluff City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Bluff City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Saint Paul
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Paul is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
    • Dressor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Wheeler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Lis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lis is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lis
    • Bogota
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Bogota is located in Jasper County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogota
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Kinmundy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Omega
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Omega is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
    • Alma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Vernon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Patoka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Iuka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Bannister
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bannister is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannister
    • Salem
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Fillmore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Chapman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Chapman is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
  • Richland County
    • Wakefield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Wakefield is located in Richland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakefield
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southmore Heights, with the one closest to Southmore Heights listed first.
    • Fancher
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Fancher is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
    • Mode
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Mode is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode
    • Cowden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Stewardson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Herrick
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sigel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakewood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Strasburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Trowbridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Trowbridge is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trowbridge
    • Shelbyville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Middlesworth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth
    • Oconee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Southmore Heights ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Southmore Heights.

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 Southmore Heights - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • St. Clare Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • McCoy Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • German Methodist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Drysdale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Newman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Kavanaugh Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Beck William Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Zion Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • New Salem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (488 more) ...
    • Old Salem Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fremington Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mt. Moriah Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)

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 Southmore Heights in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Southmore Heights.

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

  • Altamont
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Gilmore
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilmore is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
  • Dexter
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Dexter is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
  • Saint Elmo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Blue Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Blue Point is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Point
  • Moccasin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Moccasin is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
  • Funkhouser
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
  • Saint James
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint James is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint James
  • Avena
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Avena is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
  • Beecher City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Beecher City is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
  • Edgewood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mason is located in Effingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 333 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Watson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Shumway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brownstown
      (11 miles [17.7 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 Southmore Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around Southmore Heights.

Newspapers Published in Southmore Heights ...

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 132 newspapers that have been published in the area around Southmore Heights.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Southmore Heights, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Southmore Heights.

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 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 Southmore Heights:

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 Southmore Heights, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Southmore Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.