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 Balbec (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 Balbec. 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 Balbec ...
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.
Another variation: Balbee.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Balbec is located in Jay County.
To see how the shape of Indiana's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jay County: Adams, Blackford, Delaware, Randolph, Wells, Darke (OH) & Mercer (OH).
Below are the counties that are near Balbec. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Balbec:
- Jay County (The home county of Balbec)
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Fiat
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Fiat is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
- Pennville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Pony
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pony is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pony
- Greene
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Greene is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
- Antiville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Antiville is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antiville
- Bloomfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Bloomfield is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Bryant
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Blaine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Blaine is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Dunkirk
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Portland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Redkey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Collett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Collett is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collett
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Linn Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Linn Grove is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linn Grove
- Geneva
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Berne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Honduras
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Honduras is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honduras
- Coppess Corner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Coppess Corner is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppess Corner
- Monroe
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Magley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Magley is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magley
- Preble
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Decatur
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Yoder
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hoagland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Blackford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Ridertown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ridertown is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridertown
- Montpelier
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Mollie ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mollie is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
- Millgrove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Millgrove is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millgrove
- Hartford City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Renner ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Renner is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renner
- Shamrock Lakes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shamrock Lakes is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Delaware County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Albany
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Eaton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Granville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Granville is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
- Former name for Granville:
- Weaton
- Desoto
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Desoto is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto
- Gaston
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Janney
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Janney is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janney
- Selma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Liberty Corners
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Liberty Corners is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Corners
- Andersonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Andersonville is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersonville
- Muncie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Yorktown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Farrville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Farrville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrville
- Arcana
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Arcana is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcana
- Friendly Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Friendly Corner is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendly Corner
- Upland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Van Buren
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Van Buren is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Buren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 815 people
- Matthews
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Matthews is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matthews
- Population from the 2020 Census: 553 people
- Fowlerton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Fowlerton is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowlerton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
- Gas City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Jonesboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Marion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Fairmount
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Michaelsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Michaelsville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaelsville
- Huntington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Warren
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Plum Tree
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Plum Tree is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Tree
- Majenica
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Majenica is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majenica
- Markle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- River is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River
- Mount Etna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Etna is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Banquo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Banquo is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banquo
- Monument City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Monument City is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument City
- Bowerstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bowerstown is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerstown
- Harlansburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Harlansburg is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlansburg
- Huntington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Madison County
- Summitville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Summitville is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summitville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Ridgeville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Ridgeville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 734 people
- New Pittsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Pittsburg is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Pittsburg
- Stone
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Stone is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone
- Farmland
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Parker City
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Saratoga
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Winchester
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Windsor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Windsor is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Union City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Haysville Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Haysville Corner is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysville Corner
- Rural
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Rural is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural
- Wells County
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Nottingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Nottingham is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottingham
- Phenix
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Phenix is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phenix
- Petroleum
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Petroleum is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petroleum
- Keystone
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Keystone is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
- Reiffsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Reiffsburg is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reiffsburg
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Greenville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Poneto
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Poneto is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poneto
- Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
- Travisville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Travisville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Travisville
- Vera Cruz
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Vera Cruz is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera Cruz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Liberty Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty Center is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Center
- Bluffton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Craigville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Craigville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigville
- Darke County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Lightsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lightsville is located in Darke County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lightsville
- New Weston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Union City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Union City is located in Darke County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,585 people
- Mercer County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Skeels Crossroads
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Skeels Crossroads is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skeels Crossroads
- Wabash
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wabash is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
- Fort Recovery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Macedon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Macedon is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedon
- Scudder
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Scudder is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scudder
- Wendelin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Wendelin is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendelin
- Coldwater
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Saint Henry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Tama
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Tama is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tama
- Rockford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Earley ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Earley is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earley
- Burkettsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Van Wert County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Willshire
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Schumm
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Schumm is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schumm
- Wren
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wren is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wren <1>
- Abanaka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Abanaka is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abanaka
- Glenmore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Glenmore is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmore
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Balbec, see our County-by-County Page for Balbec.
Cemeteries Near Balbec ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Balbec.
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 Balbec - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Balbec covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- West Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Maple Lawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Hillside Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Twin Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Bloxsom Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Twibell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Winters Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Whiteman Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Whicker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hartford Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brown Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (291 more) ...
- Alberson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stahl Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Odd Fellows Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Balbec had a population of 142 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Balbec, with the one closest to Balbec listed first.
- Fiat
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Fiat is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
- Pennville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Nottingham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Nottingham is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottingham
- Phenix
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Phenix is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phenix
- Kitt
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Kitt is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitt
- Poling
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Poling is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poling
- Pony
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pony is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pony
- Corkwell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Corkwell is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corkwell
- Domestic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Domestic is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Domestic
- Ridertown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ridertown is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridertown
- Keystone
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Keystone is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
- Montpelier
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Reiffsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Reiffsburg is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reiffsburg
- Greene
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Greene is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
- Mollie ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mollie is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Balbec. See our List of 1890's Communities around Balbec.
Newspapers Published in Balbec ...
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 140 newspapers that have been published in the area around Balbec.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Balbec, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Balbec.
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 Balbec:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Jay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Allen County
- Blackford County
- Delaware County
- Grant County
- Huntington County
- Madison County
- Randolph County
- Wells County
- Darke County
- Mercer County
- Van Wert County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Indiana
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 Balbec, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Balbec) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |