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 Avondale (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 Avondale. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Avondale is located in Cook County.
To see how the shape of Illinois' counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cook County: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Lake (IN) & Berrien (MI).
Below are the counties that are near Avondale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Avondale:
- Cook County (The home county of Avondale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Pacific Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Pacific Junction is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific Junction
- Maplewood
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Maplewood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplewood
- Bowmanville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bowmanville is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
- Albany Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Albany Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany Park
- Grayland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grayland is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayland
- West Town
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Town is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Town
- Cragin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cragin is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cragin
- Buena Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buena Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Park
- Moreland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Moreland is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
- Jefferson Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
- Carl Sandburg Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dunning
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Dunning is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunning
- Elmwood Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Bensenville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Elmhurst
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- South Elmhurst
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
- Wood Dale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hinsdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Brook Terrace
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Brook Terrace is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook Terrace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
- Oak Brook
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Utopia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Utopia is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- Villa Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Villa Park is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
- Clarendon Hills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Addison
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Itasca
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- York Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- York Center is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- East Dundee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Coleman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Coleman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Elgin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Geneva
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Saint Charles
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Braeside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Braeside is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
- Ravinia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Ravinia is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
- Highland Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Deerfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Riverwoods
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Highwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bannockburn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Buffalo Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Aptakisic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Aptakisic is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
- Lincolnshire
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie View
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie View is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie View
- Lake Forest
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Long Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Winston Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Winston Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
- Bolingbrook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Goodings Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Goodings Grove is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
- Bloomfield Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
- Homer Glen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Homer Glen is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Glen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,281 people
- Homer Glen has also been known as:
- Homer Glen village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer Glen <1>
- Romeoville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Frankfort Square
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Frankfort Square is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
- Mokena
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lockport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lake County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Whiting
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- East Chicago
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hammond
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hessville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
- Munster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Highland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gary
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Gary is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 74,693 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Avondale, see our County-by-County Page for Avondale.
Cemeteries Near Avondale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Avondale.
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 Avondale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Avondale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Bohemian National Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohemian National Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bohemian National Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Albany Park.
- The Bohemian National Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bohemian National Cemetery of Chicago
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #216236 <2>
- St. Luke Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Luke Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Luke Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Albany Park.
- The St. Luke Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Lucas Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107959 <2>
- Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Wunder's Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wunder's Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Wunder's Cemetery is located in Buena Park.
- The Wunder's Cemetery has also been known as:
- Wunders Lutheran Cemetery
- Graceland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Getty Tomb
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ridge Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Montrose Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- St. Boniface Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rosehill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rosehill Mausoleum
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Couch Mausoleum
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (289 more) ...
- St. Henry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mt. Isaiah Israel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Avondale had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Avondale, with the one closest to Avondale listed first.
- Hermosa
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hermosa is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
- Pacific Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Pacific Junction is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacific Junction
- Simons
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Simons is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons
- Humboldt
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Humboldt is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humboldt
- Maplewood
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Maplewood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplewood
- Irving Park
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Irving Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving Park
- Cragin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cragin is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cragin
- Humboldt Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Humboldt Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humboldt Park
- Cuyler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cuyler is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuyler
- Ravenswood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ravenswood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
- Bowmanville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bowmanville is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
- Mayfair
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mayfair is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfair
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Grayland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grayland is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayland
- Moreland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Moreland is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moreland
- Central Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Central Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Park
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Avondale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Avondale.
Newspapers Published in Avondale ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Avondale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Avondale, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Avondale.
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 Avondale:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Cook County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- Will County
- Lake County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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 Avondale, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Avondale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |