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 Waynesburg (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 Waynesburg. 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 hospitals and 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.
Waynesburg is located in Decatur 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 Decatur County: Bartholomew, Franklin, Jennings, Ripley, Rush & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near Waynesburg. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Waynesburg:
- Decatur County (The home county of Waynesburg)
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Alert
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Alert is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alert
- Sardinia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sardinia is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardinia
- Letts Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Letts Corner is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letts Corner
- Letts
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Letts is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letts
- Westport
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Westport is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,416 people
- Harper
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harper is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
- Burney
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Burney is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burney
- Harris City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Harris City is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris City
- Milford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Millhousen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Millhousen is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millhousen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
- Adams
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Adams is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Greensburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bartholomew County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Hartsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hartsville is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Grammer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Grammer is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grammer
- Newbern
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Newbern is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Rugby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rugby is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Hope
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hope is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,248 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hope <1>
- Petersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Petersville is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersville
- Elizabethtown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Elizabethtown is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabethtown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 540 people
- Jewell Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Jewell Village is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell Village
- Clifford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Clifford is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Columbus
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Bethel Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Bethel Village is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel Village
- Corn Brook
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Corn Brook is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corn Brook
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Mount Liberty
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Mount Liberty is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Liberty
- Becks Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Becks Grove is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Becks Grove
- Pikes Peak
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Pikes Peak is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikes Peak
- Gnaw Bone
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Spearsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Spearsville is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spearsville
- Nashville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Story
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Story is located in Brown County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Enochsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Enochsburg is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enochsburg
- Oldenburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Andersonville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Andersonville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersonville
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Fleming
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fleming is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleming
- Seymour
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cortland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cortland is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortland
- Kriete Corner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kriete Corner is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kriete Corner
- Spraytown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spraytown is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spraytown
- New Elizabethtown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- New Elizabethtown is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elizabethtown
- Dudleytown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dudleytown is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudleytown
- Retreat
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Retreat is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retreat
- Freetown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Crothersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Brownstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Houston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Houston is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Dupont
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Middlefork
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Middlefork is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlefork
- Bryantsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bryantsburg is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryantsburg
- Deputy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Jennings County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Scipio
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Scipio is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scipio
- Queensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Queensville is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queensville
- Zenas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Zenas is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenas
- North Vernon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Butlerville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oakdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oakdale is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
- Vernon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hayden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hayden is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayden
- Grayford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Grayford is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayford
- Four Corners
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Four Corners is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
- San Jacinto
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- San Jacinto is located in Jennings County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Jacinto
- Commiskey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Edinburgh
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Amity
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Amity is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
- Nineveh
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Princes Lakes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Princes Lakes is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princes Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,342 people
- Peoga
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Peoga is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoga
- Franklin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Needham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Urmeyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Urmeyville is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urmeyville
- Trafalgar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Samaria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Samaria is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
- Parke County
- Stumptown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Stumptown is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Ripley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Holton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Napoleon
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Otter Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Otter Village is located in Ripley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Village
- Osgood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Batesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lookout
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lookout is located in Ripley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookout
- Versailles
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Delaware
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Delaware is located in Ripley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
- Morris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Morris is located in Ripley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris
- Pierceville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pierceville is located in Ripley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
- Stumpke Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Stumpke Corner is located in Ripley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumpke Corner
- Milan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Rush County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Moscow
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Moscow is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Williamstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Williamstown is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
- Gowdy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Gowdy is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowdy
- Milroy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Homer
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Homer is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
- Manilla
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Manilla is located in Rush County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manilla
- Arlington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rushville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Norristown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Norristown is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norristown
- Geneva
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Geneva is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Flat Rock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Waldron
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Waldron is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
- Wilson Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Wilson Corner is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson Corner
- Mount Auburn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Auburn is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Auburn
- Prescott
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Prescott is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
- Blue Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Blue Ridge is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
- Riley Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Riley Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley Village
- Shelbyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hildebrand Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hildebrand Village is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hildebrand Village
- Rays Crossing
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Rays Crossing is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rays Crossing
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Waynesburg, see our County-by-County Page for Waynesburg.
Cemeteries Near Waynesburg ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waynesburg.
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 Waynesburg - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Waynesburg covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Asbury Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Shirk Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Little Sand Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Parkison Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wesley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hartsville College Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lower Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wynn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Westport Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (330 more) ...
- Finley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Newbern Christian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern Christian Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Newbern Christian Cemetery is located in Newbern.
- The Newbern Christian Cemetery has also been known as:
- Newbern Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2164408 <2>
- Eddleman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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 Waynesburg had a population of 106 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Waynesburg, with the one closest to Waynesburg listed first.
- Alert
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Alert is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alert
- Burnsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Burnsville is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Sardinia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sardinia is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardinia
- Hartsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hartsville is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Forest Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Forest Hill is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Newbern
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Newbern is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbern
- Westport
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Westport is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,416 people
- Letts Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Letts Corner is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letts Corner
- Harper
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harper is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
- Horace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Horace is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
- Rugby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rugby is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Burney
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Burney is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burney
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Gaynorsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gaynorsville is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaynorsville
- Harris City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Harris City is located in Decatur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris City
- Hope
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hope is located in Bartholomew County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,248 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hope <1>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Waynesburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around Waynesburg.
Newspapers Published in Waynesburg ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waynesburg.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Waynesburg, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Waynesburg.
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 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 Waynesburg:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Decatur County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bartholomew County
- Brown County
- Franklin County
- Jackson County
- Jefferson County
- Jennings County
- Johnson County
- Parke County
- Ripley County
- Rush County
- Shelby 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 Waynesburg, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Waynesburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |