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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 Trenton (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 Trenton. 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 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.

Trenton is located in Clinton 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 Clinton County: Bond, Fayette, Madison, Marion, Saint Clair & Washington.

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

  • Clinton County     (The home county of Trenton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Aviston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • New Baden
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Albers
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Damiansville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Damiansville is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damiansville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
    • Breese
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Saint Rose
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Saint Rose is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Rose
    • New Memphis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Germantown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bartelso
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Beckemeyer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Carlyle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Marydale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Marydale is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydale
  • Bond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Pierron
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Pocahontas
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Ripley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Old Ripley is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
    • Greenville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Reno
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Reno is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Sorento
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Pleasant Mound
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pleasant Mound is located in Bond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Mound
    • Smithboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Macoupin County
    • Staunton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Sebastopol
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Sebastopol is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
    • Saint Jacob
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Highland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Marine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Troy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Troy is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Troy <1>
    • Grantfork
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Grantfork is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantfork
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
    • Maryville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Collinsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Fruit
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Fruit is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruit
    • Alhambra
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Glen Carbon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Edwardsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Marion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Junction City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Junction City is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 468 people
    • Central City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Central City is located in Marion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,107 people
    • Sandoval
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Hecker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Columbia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Montgomery County
    • Panama
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Tilden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Coulterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Baldwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saint Clair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Summerfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Lebanon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Lebanon is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,225 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lebanon <1>
    • Mascoutah
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • O'Fallon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Petersburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Petersburg is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
    • Shiloh
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Shiloh is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shiloh <1>
    • Saint Libory
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Fairview Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Swansea
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Swansea is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansea
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swansea <1>
    • Fayetteville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Fayetteville is located in Saint Clair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 336 people
    • Freeburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Belleville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Okawville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Venedy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Venedy is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venedy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
    • Stone Church
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Stone Church is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone Church
    • Addieville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • New Minden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • New Minden is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Minden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
    • Caspars
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Caspars is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caspars
    • Elkton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Elkton is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
    • Hoyleton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Nashville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarmin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Clarmin is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarmin
    • Wamac
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Wamac is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamac
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,117 people
  • Saint Louis City (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Saint Louis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Baden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Baden is located in Saint Louis City (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
  • Saint Louis County (MO)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Trenton, with the one closest to Trenton listed first.
    • Glasgow Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Glasgow Village is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow Village
    • Riverview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Riverview is located in Saint Louis County (MO)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,821 people

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

Cemeteries Near Trenton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Trenton.

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

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

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

  • Trenton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Wittmer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Resurrection Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Summerfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Padfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Green Mount Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Sugar Creek Presbyterian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Hoyt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • New Baden Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Bernard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (465 more) ...
    • Lake Branch Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Gullick Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bryan Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)

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 Trenton had a population of 1,384 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Trenton had a population of 2,566 people.

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

  • Aviston
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Saint Morgan
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Saint Morgan is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Morgan
  • Summerfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • New Baden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Damiansville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Damiansville is located in Clinton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damiansville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 484 people
  • Lebanon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Lebanon is located in Saint Clair County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lebanon
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,225 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lebanon <1>
  • New Memphis
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Germantown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Breese
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Saint Rose
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Rose is located in Clinton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Rose
  • Saint Jacob
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Sebastopol
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Sebastopol is located in Madison County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebastopol
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Highland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Mascoutah
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • New Memphis Station
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • New Memphis Station is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Memphis Station

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Trenton ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Trenton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Trenton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Trenton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Trenton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3> of Trenton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Trenton:

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 Trenton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Trenton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.