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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 Brownstown (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 Brownstown. 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 and hospitals 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.

Brownstown is located in Jackson County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Indiana's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jackson County: Bartholomew, Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Scott & Washington.

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Brownstown)
  • Bartholomew County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Jonesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
      • Jonesville is located in Bartholomew County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <1>
    • North Ogilville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bethel Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Village
      • Bethel Village is located in Bartholomew County
    • Garden City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Bartholomew County
    • Elizabethtown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Stony Lonesome
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Columbus
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Jewell Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell Village
      • Jewell Village is located in Bartholomew County
    • Corn Brook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Grammer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Petersville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Clifford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
      • Clifford is located in Bartholomew County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
  • Brown County
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Underwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
      • Underwood is located in Clark County
    • Henryville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Borden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • New Providence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Providence came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Providence
      • New Providence is located in Clark County
    • Marysville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marysville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marysville
      • Marysville is located in Clark County
    • Nabb
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nabb have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nabb
      • Nabb is located in Clark County
    • Otisco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Decatur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Alert
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sardinia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Harper
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harper. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
      • Harper is located in Decatur County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harper
      • From Brownstown to Harper
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Deputy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deputy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deputy
      • Deputy is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deputy <1>
    • Dupont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dupont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont
      • Dupont is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dupont <1>
    • Kent
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kent. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
      • Kent is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kent
      • From Brownstown to Kent
    • Middlefork
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Middlefork. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefork
      • Middlefork is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Middlefork
      • From Brownstown to Middlefork
  • Jennings County
  • Lawrence County
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Smithville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Harrodsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrodsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrodsburg
      • Harrodsburg is located in Monroe County
    • Clear Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Leipsic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bromer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Orleans
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orleans have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
      • Orleans is located in Orange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orleans <1>
    • Trotter Crossing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Scott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Austin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Marshfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Albion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Scottsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
      • Scottsburg is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,703 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottsburg <1>
    • Blocher
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Goshen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Lexington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lexington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
      • Lexington is located in Scott County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lexington <1>
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brownstown, with the one closest to Brownstown listed first.
    • Plattsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Kossuth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kossuth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
      • Kossuth is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kossuth
      • From Brownstown to Kossuth
    • Little York
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little York have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little York
      • Little York is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
    • Harristown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harristown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harristown
      • Harristown is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harristown
      • From Brownstown to Harristown
    • Salem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Campbellsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Smedley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Smedley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smedley
      • Smedley is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Smedley
      • From Brownstown to Smedley
    • South Boston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Saltillo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saltillo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
      • Saltillo is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Claysville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claysville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claysville
      • Claysville is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Claysville
      • From Brownstown to Claysville
    • Bartle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bartle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartle
      • Bartle is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bartle
      • From Brownstown to Bartle
    • Livonia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
      • Livonia is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people

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

Cemeteries Near Brownstown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brownstown.

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

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

  • Woodmansee Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodmansee Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodmansee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burrell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burrell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burrell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miller Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Weathers Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weathers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weathers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peters Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peters Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Durland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Durland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Durland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Robertson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Wayman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Smallwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smallwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smallwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beem Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (309 more) ...

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Brownstown had a population of 1,422 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Brownstown had a population of 2,874 people.

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

  • Ewing
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ewing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
    • Ewing is located in Jackson County
  • Vallonia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Shields
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shields have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
    • Shields is located in Jackson County
  • Surprise
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Surprise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surprise
    • Surprise is located in Jackson County
  • Medora
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Tampico
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tampico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tampico
    • Tampico is located in Jackson County
  • Freetown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Millport
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
    • Millport is located in Washington County
  • Dudleytown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Spraytown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spraytown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spraytown
    • Spraytown is located in Jackson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Spraytown
    • From Brownstown to Spraytown
  • Chestnut Ridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestnut Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Ridge
    • Chestnut Ridge is located in Jackson County
  • Seymour
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Kurtz
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Retreat
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Rockford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
      • Rockford is located in Jackson County

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

Newspapers Published in Brownstown ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brownstown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brownstown, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brownstown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Brownstown:

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

The official website for State of Indiana: https://www.in.gov

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 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.
<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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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.
<6>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 Brownstown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Brownstown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brownstown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8804, Longitude: -86.0454       In this case, the coordinates for Brownstown have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025