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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 Springfield (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 Springfield. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Springfield is located in Sangamon County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Sangamon County: Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery & Morgan.

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

  • Sangamon County     (The home county of Springfield)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Springfield, with the one closest to Springfield listed first.
    • Hawthorne Place
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Southern View
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southern View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southern View
      • Southern View is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,557 people
    • Jerome
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
    • Leland Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leland Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland Grove
      • Leland Grove is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,451 people
    • Ridgely
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ridgely. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
      • Ridgely is located in Sangamon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ridgely
      • From Springfield to Ridgely
    • Grandview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
      • Grandview is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,369 people
    • Clear Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Woodside
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Woodside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
      • Woodside is located in Sangamon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Woodside
      • From Springfield to Woodside
    • Rochester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
      • Rochester is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,715 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochester <3>
    • Sherman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Riverton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
      • Riverton is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverton <3>
    • Curran
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curran have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
      • Curran is located in Sangamon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
  • Cass County
  • Christian County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Springfield, with the one closest to Springfield listed first.
    • Bolivia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Edinburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bulpitt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bulpitt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulpitt
      • Bulpitt is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bulpitt <3>
    • Tovey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tovey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tovey
      • Tovey is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tovey <3>
    • Zenobia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zenobia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenobia
      • Zenobia is located in Christian County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Zenobia
      • From Springfield to Zenobia
    • Kincaid
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kincaid have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kincaid
      • Kincaid is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,362 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kincaid <3>
    • Grove City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grove City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
      • Grove City is located in Christian County
    • Jeisyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeisyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Sharpsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Auburn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Taylorville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarksdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Logan County
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Springfield, with the one closest to Springfield listed first.
    • Niantic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Blue Mound
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mound
      • Blue Mound is located in Macon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Mound <3>
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Springfield, with the one closest to Springfield listed first.
    • Virden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Girard
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Nilwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nilwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nilwood
      • Nilwood is located in Macoupin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nilwood <3>
    • Modesto
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Modesto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modesto
      • Modesto is located in Macoupin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Modesto <3>
    • Standard City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Palmyra
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mason County
  • Menard County
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Springfield, with the one closest to Springfield listed first.
    • White Oak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for White Oak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to White Oak
      • From Springfield to White Oak
    • Farmersville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersville
      • Farmersville is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 662 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farmersville <3>
    • Waggoner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Harvel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvel
      • Harvel is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvel <3>
  • Morgan County

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

Cemeteries Near Springfield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Springfield.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Crowder Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crowder Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crowder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln Tomb
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Tomb
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Tomb have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harmony Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harmony Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harmony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trumbo Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • McKinnie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKinnie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKinnie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cloyd Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rochester Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rochester Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rochester Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Roselawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roselawn Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roselawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (306 more) ...
    • Bissell Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bissell Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bissell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Foster Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foster Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Springfield had a population of 24,963 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Springfield had a population of 113,671 people.

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

  • Ridgely
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ridgely. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgely
    • Ridgely is located in Sangamon County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ridgely
    • From Springfield to Ridgely
  • Woodside
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Woodside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
    • Woodside is located in Sangamon County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Woodside
    • From Springfield to Woodside
  • Bradfordton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradfordton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradfordton
    • Bradfordton is located in Sangamon County
  • Cotton Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
    • Cotton Hill is located in Sangamon County
  • Rochester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
    • Rochester is located in Sangamon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,715 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochester <3>
  • Curran
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curran have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
    • Curran is located in Sangamon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
  • Riverton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
    • Riverton is located in Sangamon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,430 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverton <3>
  • Sherman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Chatham
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
    • Chatham is located in Sangamon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,159 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatham <3>
  • Spaulding
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spaulding have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spaulding
    • Spaulding is located in Sangamon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 836 people
  • Farmingdale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmingdale
    • Farmingdale is located in Sangamon County
  • New City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • New City is located in Sangamon County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Barclay
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barclay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
      • Barclay is located in Sangamon County
    • Pasfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pasfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasfield
      • Pasfield is located in Sangamon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pasfield
      • From Springfield to Pasfield
    • Glenarm
      (10 miles [16.1 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 Springfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Springfield.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Springfield ...

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 250 newspapers that have been published in the area around Springfield.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Springfield. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Springfield and those printed in the larger area surrounding Springfield.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6> of Springfield.

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 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 Springfield:

The official website for Springfield: www.springfield.il.us/

The official website for Sangamon County: www.co.sangamon.il.us/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Springfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Springfield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Springfield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7829, Longitude: -89.6524    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025