RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Mason County >> Union >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Illinois

The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





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 Union (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 Union. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Union is located in Mason County.

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 Mason County: Cass, Fulton, Logan, Menard, Schuyler & Tazewell.

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

  • Mason County     (The home county of Union)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Forest City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Manito
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manito have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manito
      • Manito is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manito <2>
    • Goofy Ridge
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Topeka
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Topeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topeka
      • Topeka is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Topeka <2>
    • Buzzville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Easton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Teheran
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Poplar City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Natrona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • San Jose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Jose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Jose
      • San Jose is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Jose <2>
    • Mason City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Havana
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Cass County
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Banner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
      • Banner is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Banner <2>
    • Liverpool
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liverpool have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool
      • Liverpool is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liverpool <2>
    • Breeds
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Breeds. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Breeds
      • From Union to Breeds
    • Dunfermline
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunfermline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunfermline
      • Dunfermline is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dunfermline <2>
    • Saint David
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
      • Bryant is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 209 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bryant <2>
    • Canton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sepo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sepo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sepo
      • From Union to Sepo
    • Brereton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Lewistown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewistown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown
      • Lewistown is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,096 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewistown <2>
    • Norris
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cuba
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Knox County
    • Yates City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yates City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates City
      • Yates City is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yates City <2>
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Emden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emden
      • Emden is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emden <2>
    • New Holland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Holland
      • New Holland is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 266 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Holland <2>
    • Hartsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsburg
      • Hartsburg is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartsburg <2>
    • Middletown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middletown <2>
    • Bell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Evans
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Broadwell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Broadwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadwell
      • Broadwell is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Lawndale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawndale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawndale
      • Lawndale is located in Logan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawndale <2>
    • Elkhart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Menard County
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Kingston Mines
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingston Mines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston Mines
      • Kingston Mines is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingston Mines <2>
    • Glasford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Mapleton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mapleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
      • Mapleton is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 268 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mapleton <2>
    • Bartonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hanna City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Bellevue
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Maxwell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maxwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Maxwell
      • From Union to Maxwell
    • Trivoli
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trivoli have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trivoli
      • Trivoli is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trivoli <2>
    • Norwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Norwood is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
    • Pottstown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • West Peoria
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Peoria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Peoria
      • West Peoria is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Peoria <2>
    • Edwards
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Schuyler County
    • Bluff City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bluff City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bluff City
      • From Union to Bluff City
  • Tazewell County

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

Cemeteries Near Union ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Union.

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 Union covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Coon Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coon Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coon Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Fredrick's Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Fredrick's Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Fredrick's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meadow Lawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meadow Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meadow Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak GroveCemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak GroveCemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak GroveCemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bishop Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bishop Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bishop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Albright Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Albright Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Albright Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Langston Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Langston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Langston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Breedlove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Springlake Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Quiver Presbyterian Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quiver Presbyterian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quiver Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Valley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (340 more) ...
    • Heater Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heater Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heater Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Walnut Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walnut Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walnut Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 in 1895, Union had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Forest City
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Forest City is located in Mason County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
  • Manito
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manito have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manito
    • Manito is located in Mason County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,467 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manito <2>
  • Bishop
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bishop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Bishop is located in Mason County
  • Topeka
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Topeka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topeka
    • Topeka is located in Mason County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Topeka <2>
  • Green Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Banner
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
    • Banner is located in Fulton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Banner <2>
  • Liverpool
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liverpool have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool
    • Liverpool is located in Fulton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liverpool <2>
  • Poplar City
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Easton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Teheran
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Stoehrs
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Kingston Mines
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingston Mines have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston Mines
    • Kingston Mines is located in Peoria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingston Mines <2>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Monterey
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monterey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Monterey is located in Fulton County
    • Maples Mill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maples Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples Mill
      • Maples Mill is located in Fulton County
    • Natrona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Union ...

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 126 newspapers that have been published in the area around Union.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Union, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Union.

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 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 Union:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Union. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Mason County: www.masoncountyil.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Union, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Union) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Union. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.3904, Longitude: -89.8122       In this case, the coordinates for Union have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025