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 University Village (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 University Village. 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 University Village ...
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 University Village: University Vlg. (in Canada, 'Vlge.' is the more common abbreviation.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named University Village. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for University Village.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
University Village is located in McDonough 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 McDonough County: Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Schuyler & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near University Village. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to University Village:
- McDonough County (The home county of University Village)
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Macomb
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- East Village
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- East Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Lamone Village
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
- Bardolph
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Good Hope
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Colchester
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sciota
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tennessee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Adair
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Bushnell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Industry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- New Philadelphia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
- Blandinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- La Prairie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Golden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brown County
- Ripley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Ripley is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Marietta
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Table Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Checkrow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Checkrow is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Checkrow
- Vermont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Avon
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Babylon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Babylon is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babylon
- Ipava
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Smithfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Blyton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Blyton is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyton
- Ellisville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Astoria
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Cuba
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Summum
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Summum is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Joetta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Joetta is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
- Fountain Green
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
- La Harpe
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- La Harpe is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Harpe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,123 people
- Plymouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Disco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Disco is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Disco
- Augusta
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Burnside
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Burnside is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Bentley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Bentley is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32 people
- Carthage
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Bowen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Adrian
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Ferris
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Colusa
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Raritan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Raritan is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Terre Haute
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
- Media
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Media is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
- Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
- Stronghurst
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Iowa Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
- Lomax
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Olena
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Olena is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
- Carman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Biggsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Biggsville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Saint Augustine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Abingdon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Schuyler County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Littleton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Wayland
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Wayland is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Huntsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Camden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rushville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bader
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bader is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
- Browning
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bluff City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Frederick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Youngstown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Youngstown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
- Roseville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Smithshire
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Berwick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kirkwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cameron
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Des Moines County (IA)
- Patterson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to University Village, see our County-by-County Page for University Village.
Cemeteries Near University Village ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of University Village.
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 University Village - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for University Village covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Oakwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Paul Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Macomb Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Macomb Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Simpson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bailey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Stickel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickel Cemetery
- The Stickel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Stickle Cemetery
- Brooking Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Guy Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bean Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (405 more) ...
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Atkinson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mt. Auburn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
While we didn't find University Village in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of University Village.
These communities are listed based on their distance from University Village, with the one closest to University Village listed first.
- Macomb
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Colchester
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bardolph
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Good Hope
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Fandon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fandon is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fandon
- Sciota
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Scottsburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Scottsburg is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
- Pennington Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pennington Point is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington Point
- Tennessee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Industry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Adair
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Bushnell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hills Grove ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hills Grove is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Grove
- New Philadelphia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
- Blandinsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around University Village. See our List of 1890's Communities around University Village.
Newspapers Published in University Village ...
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 195 newspapers that have been published in the area around University Village.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of University Village, 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 University Village.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 University Village:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to McDonough County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Brown County
- Fulton County
- Hancock County
- Henderson County
- Knox County
- Schuyler County
- Warren County
- Des Moines 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> | 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 University Village, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- University Village) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |