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 Shirley (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 Shirley. 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 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.
Shirley is primarily located in Hancock County. A portion of Shirley extends into Henry 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 Hancock County: Hamilton, Henry, Madison, Marion, Rush & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near Shirley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shirley:
- Hancock County (The home county of Shirley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Wilkinson
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Warrington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Warrington is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrington
- Willow Branch
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Willow Branch is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Branch
- Charlottesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Charlottesville is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlottesville
- Eden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Eden is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Maxwell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Maxwell is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Greenfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Denny Corner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Denny Corner is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denny Corner
- Colonial Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Colonial Village is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Fortville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Mohawk
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Mohawk is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk
- Philadelphia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Philadelphia is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
- Delaware County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Daleville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Oakville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oakville is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
- Cowan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cowan is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
- Progress
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Progress is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Yorktown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Andersonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Andersonville is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersonville
- Muncie
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty Corners
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty Corners is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Corners
- Selma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Desoto
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Desoto is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Desoto
- Gaston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Fairview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Bentonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bentonville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentonville
- Harrisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Harrisburg is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Orange
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Orange is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange
- Connersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hamilton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Luxhaven
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Luxhaven is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxhaven
- Olio
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Olio is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olio
- Bridgewater
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bridgewater is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
- Clarksville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Clarksville is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
- Durbin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Durbin is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbin
- Fishers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Noblesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Strawtown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Strawtown is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawtown
- Aroma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Aroma is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aroma
- Monterey Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Monterey Village is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey Village
- Cicero
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Omega
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Omega is located in Hamilton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Grant City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Grant City is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant City
- Kennard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Kennard is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
- Greensboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Greensboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greensboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Cadiz
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cadiz is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadiz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
- Knightstown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ogden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ogden is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
- Spiceland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dunreith
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sulphur Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 371 people
- New Castle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Middletown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Foley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Foley is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foley
- Johnson County
- Rocklane
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rocklane is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocklane
- Kosciusko County
- Warsaw
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Markleville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pendleton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ingalls
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Anderson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Chesterfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Glyn Ellen
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Glyn Ellen is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glyn Ellen
- Woodlawn Heights
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Woodlawn Heights is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 73 people
- Edgewood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Edgewood is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,850 people
- Western Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Western Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western Village
- Country Club Heights
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Country Club Heights is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Club Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- North Anderson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- North Anderson is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Anderson
- Edgewood Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Edgewood Village is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood Village
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Cumberland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Lawrence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Charlesmac Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Charlesmac Village is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesmac Village
- Castleton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Acton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Acton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
- Warren Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Warren Park is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,574 people
- Beech Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Meridian Hills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Meridian Hills is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,718 people
- North Crows Nest
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- North Crows Nest is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Crows Nest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Williams Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Williams Creek is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 429 people
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Losantville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Modoc
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Modoc is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modoc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 174 people
- Windsor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Windsor is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Parker City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rush County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Carthage
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mays
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mays is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays
- Henderson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Henderson is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
- Raleigh
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Raleigh is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raleigh
- Arlington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Gings
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Gings is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gings
- Falmouth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Falmouth is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Rushville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Homer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Homer is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Manilla
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Manilla is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manilla
- Glenwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Gowdy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Gowdy is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowdy
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Gwynneville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gwynneville is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwynneville
- Morristown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Fountaintown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fountaintown is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountaintown
- Knighthood Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Knighthood Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knighthood Village
- Rays Crossing
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Rays Crossing is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rays Crossing
- Clover Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Clover Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Village
- Blue Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Blue Ridge is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
- Candleglo Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Candleglo Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candleglo Village
- Fairland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- London
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- London is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London
- Beech Brook
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Beech Brook is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Brook
- Brookfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brookfield is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Dublin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Dublin is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 746 people
- Franklin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Franklin is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Mount Auburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Mount Auburn is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Cambridge City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hagerstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Milton
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Milton is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
- East Germantown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- East Germantown is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Germantown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
- Pennville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Pennville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennville
- Economy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Economy is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Economy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
- Beesons
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Beesons is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beesons
- Greens Fork
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Shirley, see our County-by-County Page for Shirley.
Cemeteries Near Shirley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shirley.
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 Shirley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Shirley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- McCray Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Reeves Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Simmons Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sixmile Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hays Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Collier Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Baptist - Braddock Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Glencove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencove Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Glencove Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Knightstown.
- The Glencove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Glen Cove Cemetery
- Knightstown Bethel Cemetery
- Knightstown Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2141572 <2>
- Mason Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hickside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Quaker Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hess Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (400 more) ...
- Raysville Christian Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Walker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mechanicsburg Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
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 in 1895, Shirley had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Shirley had a population of 906 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Shirley, with the one closest to Shirley listed first.
- Wilkinson
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Maple Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Maple Valley is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Valley
- Kennard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Kennard is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 446 people
- Warrington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Warrington is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrington
- Warsaw
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Willow Branch
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Willow Branch is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Branch
- Markleville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Greensboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Greensboro is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greensboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- Cadiz
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cadiz is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadiz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
- Milners Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Milners Corner is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milners Corner
- Cleveland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Knightstown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Raysville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Raysville is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raysville
- Mechanicsburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mechanicsburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
- Ogden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ogden is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Shirley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shirley.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Shirley ...
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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shirley.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Shirley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Shirley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Shirley.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of Shirley.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Shirley:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Hancock County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Delaware County
- Fayette County
- Hamilton County
- Henry County
- Johnson County
- Kosciusko County
- Madison County
- Marion County
- Randolph County
- Rush County
- Shelby County
- Wayne 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 Shirley, 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 from Point A (ie- Shirley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |