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 Tower Hill (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 Tower Hill. 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.
Tower Hill is located in Shelby 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 Shelby County: Christian, Coles, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Macon, Montgomery & Moultrie.
Below are the counties that are near Tower Hill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Tower Hill:
- Shelby County (The home county of Tower Hill)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Lakewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lakewood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Shelbyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cowden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Oconee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Yantisville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Yantisville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville
- Herrick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Fancher
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fancher is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
- Middlesworth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth
- Findlay
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mode
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mode is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mode
- Moweaqua
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Strasburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Stewardson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Christian County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Pana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Assumption
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rosamond
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Millersville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Millersville is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Owaneco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Velma
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Velma is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
- Sandersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Sandersville is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
- Stonington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Taylorville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Clarksdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Clarksdale is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
- Langleyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Langleyville is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
- Palmer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Morrisonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Coles County
- Magnet
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Magnet is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Cumberland County
- Neoga
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Effingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Beecher City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Beecher City is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
- Moccasin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Moccasin is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moccasin
- Shumway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Altamont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dexter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dexter is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
- Green Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Green Creek is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Creek
- Funkhouser
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Funkhouser is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Funkhouser
- Effingham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gilmore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Gilmore is located in Effingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Holliday
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Holliday is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holliday
- Dressor
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Dressor is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
- Ramsey
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bayle City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bayle City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayle City
- Bingham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Howards Point ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Howards Point is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Point
- Saint Elmo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Avena
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Avena is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avena
- Brownstown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bluff City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bluff City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Vandalia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Macon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Macon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Blue Mound
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Boody
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hervey City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hervey City is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hervey City
- Elwin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Zion
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Turpin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Turpin is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turpin
- Casner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Casner is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casner
- Long Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Long Creek is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Ohlman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Nokomis
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Wenonah
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
- Coalton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Coalton is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
- Witt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fillmore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Irving
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chapman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chapman is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Coffeen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Schram City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Schram City is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schram City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
- Harvel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Moultrie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Bethany
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dunn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dunn is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Dalton City
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Sullivan
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Gays
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Allenville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Allenville is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
- Cushman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cushman is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cushman
- Coles
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Coles is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles
- Lake City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lake City is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
- Lovington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cadwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cadwell is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadwell
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Tower Hill, see our County-by-County Page for Tower Hill.
Cemeteries Near Tower Hill ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tower Hill.
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 Tower Hill - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Tower Hill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Tower Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Eiler Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Middlesworth Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Liston Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Methodist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Knobs Baptist Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Robinson Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wendling Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Linwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (387 more) ...
- McCoy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Reed Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Tower Hill had a population of 543 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Tower Hill had a population of 582 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Tower Hill, with the one closest to Tower Hill listed first.
- Lakewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lakewood is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
- Henton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henton is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henton
- Pana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dunkel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dunkel is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkel
- Shelbyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Oconee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cowden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Assumption
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rosamond
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Herrick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Yantisville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Yantisville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville
- Millersville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Millersville is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Fancher
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fancher is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancher
- Obed
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Obed is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obed
- Radford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Radford is located in Christian County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Tower Hill. See our List of 1890's Communities around Tower Hill.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Tower Hill ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tower Hill.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Tower Hill. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Tower Hill and those printed in the larger area surrounding Tower Hill.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Tower Hill.
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 Tower Hill:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Shelby County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Christian County
- Coles County
- Cumberland County
- Effingham County
- Fayette County
- Macon County
- Montgomery County
- Moultrie 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> | 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 Tower Hill, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Tower Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |