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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 West Terre Haute (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 West Terre Haute. 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 West Terre Haute ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Terre Haute: W. Terre Haute

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 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.

West Terre Haute is located in Vigo County.

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 Vigo County: Clark (IL), Edgar (IL), Clay, Parke, Sullivan & Vermillion.

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

  • Vigo County     (The home county of West Terre Haute)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • Toad Hop
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Taylorville
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Terre Haute
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Barnhart Town
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnhart Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhart Town
      • Barnhart Town is located in Vigo County
    • Liggett
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
      • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is located in Vigo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods <1>
    • Spelterville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Terre Town
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Terre Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Town
      • Terre Town is located in Vigo County
    • North Terre Haute
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Terre Haute have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Terre Haute
      • North Terre Haute is located in Vigo County
    • Prairieton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieton
      • Prairieton is located in Vigo County
    • Youngstown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Glen Ayre
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • Cloverland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Staunton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Staunton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staunton
      • Staunton is located in Clay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 502 people
    • Billtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Cory
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Bee Ridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Turner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Turner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Turner is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Turner
      • From West Terre Haute to Turner
    • Art
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Billville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Brazil
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Prairie City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Perth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Perth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perth
      • Perth is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Perth
      • From West Terre Haute to Perth
    • Saline City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saline City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline City
      • Saline City is located in Clay County
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • Jasonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilmour
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Midland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
      • Midland is located in Greene County
    • Hoosier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Owen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • Denmark
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Coal City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Patricksburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patricksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patricksburg
      • Patricksburg is located in Owen County
  • Parke County
  • Putnam County
    • Reelsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reelsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reelsville
      • Reelsville is located in Putnam County
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • Farmersburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Fairbanks
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairbanks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
      • Fairbanks is located in Sullivan County
    • Scott City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Shelburn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelburn
      • Shelburn is located in Sullivan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,222 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shelburn <1>
    • Hymera
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hymera have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hymera
      • Hymera is located in Sullivan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 758 people
    • Graysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Sullivan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Merom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Scotchtown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Dugger
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Jericho
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jericho. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
      • Jericho is located in Sullivan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jericho
      • From West Terre Haute to Jericho
    • New Lebanon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Lebanon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
      • New Lebanon is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Lebanon <1>
  • Vermillion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • Universal
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Universal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Universal
      • Universal is located in Vermillion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 339 people
    • Clinton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Blanford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Sandytown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Fairview Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
      • Fairview Park is located in Vermillion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,298 people
    • Saint Bernice
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Summit Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Alta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hillsdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
      • Hillsdale is located in Vermillion County
    • Dana
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Newport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
      • Newport is located in Vermillion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 475 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newport <1>
  • Clark County (IL)
  • Coles County (IL)
    • Ashmore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashmore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashmore
      • Ashmore is located in Coles County (IL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 740 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ashmore <1>
  • Crawford County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Terre Haute, with the one closest to West Terre Haute listed first.
    • West York
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West York have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West York
      • West York is located in Crawford County (IL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West York <1>
    • Hutsonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Annapolis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annapolis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annapolis
      • Annapolis is located in Crawford County (IL)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Annapolis <1>
    • Trimble
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trimble. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
      • Trimble is located in Crawford County (IL)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trimble
      • From West Terre Haute to Trimble
  • Edgar County (IL)

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

Cemeteries Near West Terre Haute ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Terre Haute.

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 West Terre Haute covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethesda Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Sheets Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sheets Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sheets Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Durham Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Durham Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Durham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dunlap Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Highland Lawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Coltrin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coltrin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coltrin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rogers Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rogers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rogers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Providence Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Providence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Providence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cummings Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cummings Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cummings Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (415 more) ...
    • Black Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hull Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hull Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hull Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hobmeyer Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hobmeyer Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hobmeyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

While we didn't find West Terre Haute in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Terre Haute.

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

  • Terre Haute
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Farrington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Prairieton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieton
    • Prairieton is located in Vigo County
  • Markles
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Markles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markles
    • Markles is located in Vigo County
  • Tecumseh
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tecumseh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tecumseh
    • Tecumseh is located in Vigo County
  • Youngstown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Otter Creek Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter Creek Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek Junction
    • Otter Creek Junction is located in Vigo County
  • Sandford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandford
    • Sandford is located in Vigo County
  • Ferrel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferrel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferrel
    • Ferrel is located in Edgar County (IL)
  • Dennison
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Swalls
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Swalls. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swalls
    • Swalls is located in Vigo County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Swalls
    • From West Terre Haute to Swalls
  • New Goshen
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • McKeen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McKeen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKeen
      • McKeen is located in Clark County (IL)
    • Riley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
      • Riley is located in Vigo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
    • Seelyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seelyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seelyville
      • Seelyville is located in Vigo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,004 people

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

Newspapers Published in West Terre Haute ...

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 West Terre Haute.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Terre Haute, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Terre Haute.

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 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 West Terre Haute:

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

The official website for Vigo County: www.vigocounty.org/

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>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- West Terre Haute) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Terre Haute. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.4652, Longitude: -87.4498    
<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 West Terre Haute, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025