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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 West Salem (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 West Salem. 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 West Salem ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Salem: W. Salem

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 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.

West Salem is located in Edwards 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 Edwards County: Richland, Wabash, Wayne, White & Gibson (IN).

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

  • Edwards County     (The home county of West Salem)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Bone Gap
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Marion
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Edwards County
    • Bennington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Browns
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
      • Browns is located in Edwards County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Browns <2>
    • Albion
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
      • Albion is located in Edwards County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,889 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <2>
    • Red Top
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Top. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
      • Red Top is located in Edwards County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Red Top
      • From West Salem to Red Top
    • Ellery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Clay County
  • Crawford County
  • Jasper County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • West Liberty
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
      • West Liberty is located in Jasper County
    • Sainte Marie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sainte Marie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sainte Marie
      • Sainte Marie is located in Jasper County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 234 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sainte Marie <2>
    • Bogota
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Lawrence County
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Parkersburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
      • Parkersburg is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkersburg <2>
    • Berryville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Berryville is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berryville
      • From West Salem to Berryville
    • Calhoun
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calhoun have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
      • Calhoun is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calhoun <2>
    • Gallagher
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gallagher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallagher
      • Gallagher is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gallagher
      • From West Salem to Gallagher
    • Wynoose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wynoose have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wynoose
      • Wynoose is located in Richland County
    • Claremont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Claremont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
      • Claremont is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Claremont <2>
    • Olney
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Noble
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noble have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
      • Noble is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 643 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Noble <2>
    • Amity
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Amity. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
      • Amity is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Amity
      • From West Salem to Amity
    • Dundas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundas
      • Dundas is located in Richland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundas <2>
    • Passport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Passport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passport
      • Passport is located in Richland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Passport
      • From West Salem to Passport
    • Wakefield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Wabash County
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Mount Erie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Golden Gate
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Gate
      • Golden Gate is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden Gate <2>
    • Enterprise
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Fairfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Geff
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geff
      • Geff is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geff <2>
    • Jeffersonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Cisne
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cisne have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisne
      • Cisne is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cisne <2>
    • Rinard
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Barnhill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnhill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhill
      • Barnhill is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barnhill <2>
    • Boyleston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Boyleston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyleston
      • Boyleston is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Boyleston
      • From West Salem to Boyleston
    • Johnsonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Sims
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sims have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sims
      • Sims is located in Wayne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sims <2>
  • White County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Grayville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayville
      • Grayville is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,543 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grayville <2>
    • Calvin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Burnt Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnt Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Prairie
      • Burnt Prairie is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burnt Prairie <2>
    • Crossville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crossville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossville
      • Crossville is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 687 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crossville <2>
    • Phillipstown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipstown
      • Phillipstown is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Mill Shoals
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Shoals
      • Mill Shoals is located in White County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mill Shoals <2>
    • Springerton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Gibson County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Patoka
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Owensville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hazleton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazleton
      • Hazleton is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 267 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hazleton <2>
    • Mounts
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mounts. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounts
      • Mounts is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mounts
      • From West Salem to Mounts
    • Princeton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Giro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Douglas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Douglas. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
      • Douglas is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Douglas
      • From West Salem to Douglas
    • Fort Branch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Branch
      • Fort Branch is located in Gibson County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Branch <2>
  • Knox County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Beal
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal
      • Beal is located in Knox County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beal
      • From West Salem to Beal
    • Decker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Vincennes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Posey County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Griffin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Barrett
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barrett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrett
      • Barrett is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Barrett
      • From West Salem to Barrett
    • Stewartsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • New Harmony
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Harmony have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Harmony
      • New Harmony is located in Posey County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 747 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Harmony <2>
    • Poseyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cynthiana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near West Salem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Salem.

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

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

  • Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seventh-day Adventist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moravian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moravian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moravian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evangelical Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evangelical Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evangelical Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greathouse Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greathouse Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greathouse Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greathouse Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greathouse Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greathouse Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pinhook Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pinhook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pinhook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Enenezer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Enenezer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Enenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Potter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Potter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Potter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bond Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bond Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Welser Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welser Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welser Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (421 more) ...
    • Ridgely Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ridgely Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ridgely Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Smith Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Brown Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Salem had a population of 476 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, West Salem had a population of 844 people.

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

  • Mills Prairie ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Samsville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samsville
    • Samsville is located in Edwards County
  • Maple Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Maple Grove is located in Edwards County
  • Bone Gap
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Parkersburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkersburg
    • Parkersburg is located in Richland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 201 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parkersburg <2>
  • Gards Point
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gards Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gards Point
    • Gards Point is located in Wabash County
  • Berryville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Berryville is located in Richland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Berryville
    • From West Salem to Berryville
  • Calhoun
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calhoun have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
    • Calhoun is located in Richland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calhoun <2>
  • Browns
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns
    • Browns is located in Edwards County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Browns <2>
  • Albion
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Albion is located in Edwards County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,889 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Albion <2>
  • Red Top
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Top. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Top
    • Red Top is located in Edwards County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Red Top
    • From West Salem to Red Top
  • Bellmont
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Friendsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendsville
      • Friendsville is located in Wabash County
    • Petersburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Maud
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maud have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maud
      • Maud is located in Wabash County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of West Salem ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Salem.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of West Salem. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of West Salem and those printed in the larger area surrounding West Salem.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of West Salem.

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 West Salem:

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

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 West Salem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- West Salem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Salem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5206, Longitude: -88.0082    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025