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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 Willeys (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 Willeys. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Willeys is located in Christian 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 Christian County: Macon, Montgomery, Sangamon & Shelby.

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

  • Christian County     (The home county of Willeys)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Sandersville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Sandersville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandersville
    • Stonington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Taylorville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Velma
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Velma is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
    • Langleyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Langleyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langleyville
    • Sharpsburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
    • Grove City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Grove City is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
    • Owaneco
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Edinburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jeisyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jeisyville is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeisyville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Kincaid
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Clarksdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
    • Bulpitt
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Fayette County
    • Dressor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Dressor is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dressor
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Cornland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Latham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Lake Fork
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Mount Pulaski
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Blue Mound
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Macon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Boody
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Niantic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Elwin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Harristown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Turpin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Turpin is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turpin
    • Mount Zion
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Bearsdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bearsdale is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearsdale
    • Decatur
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Hervey City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Hervey City is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hervey City
    • Warrensburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Long Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Long Creek is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
  • Macoupin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Virden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Girard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Ohlman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • White Oak
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Wenonah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Wenonah is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenonah
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Nokomis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Coalton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Coalton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 282 people
    • Harvel
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Witt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Witt is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Witt <1>
    • Farmersville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Raymond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Waggoner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Irving
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Moultrie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Dalton City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Bethany
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Dunn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Dunn is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
    • Lake City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Lake City is located in Moultrie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake City
  • Piatt County
  • Sangamon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • New City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • New City is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • Illiopolis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Mechanicsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Pawnee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Buffalo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Commanche Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Commanche Village is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commanche Village
    • Dawson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Divernon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Glenarm
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Clear Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Clear Lake is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • Riverton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo Hart
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo Hart is located in Sangamon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Hart
  • Shelby County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willeys, with the one closest to Willeys listed first.
    • Moweaqua
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Yantisville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Yantisville is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yantisville
    • Tower Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Oconee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lakewood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Lakewood is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
    • Findlay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Shelbyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Herrick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middlesworth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Middlesworth is located in Shelby County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesworth

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

Cemeteries Near Willeys ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willeys.

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

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

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

  • Tanner Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Glen Haven Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Harris Cemetery #2
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Ponting Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Fraley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oak Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Taylorville.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #202393 <2>
  • Old Stonington Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Long Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Young Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethel Baptist Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Langley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (293 more) ...
    • Buckhart Dutch Reform Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Goode Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Donner Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Willeys had a population of 25 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Stonington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Taylorville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Velma
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Velma is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Velma
  • Sharpsburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Sharpsburg is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsburg
  • Owaneco
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Grove City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Grove City is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove City
  • Blue Mound
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Edinburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Clarksdale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Clarksdale is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksdale
  • Millersville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Millersville is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
  • Radford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Radford is located in Christian County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
  • Assumption
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Moweaqua
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bolivia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bolivia is located in Christian County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivia
    • Mount Auburn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Willeys ...

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 210 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willeys.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willeys, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willeys.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Willeys:

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 Willeys, 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- Willeys) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.