RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Fulton County >> Banner >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Banner (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 Banner. 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 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.

Banner is located in Fulton 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 Fulton County: Knox, Mason, McDonough, Peoria, Schuyler, Tazewell & Warren.

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

  • Fulton County     (The home county of Banner)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Breeds
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
    • Dunfermline
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Canton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint David
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Brereton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Brereton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
    • Liverpool
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Norris
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Farmington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Cuba
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Fiatt
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Bybee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Bybee is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Yates City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Maquon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Williamsfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • De Long
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • De Long is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Long
    • Saint Augustine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dahinda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Emden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Holland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hartsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Goofy Ridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Manito
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Union
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Buzzville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Forest City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Topeka
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Havana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Poplar City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Easton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Teheran
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
    • Long Branch
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • San Jose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • New Philadelphia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Prairie City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Prairie City is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Oakford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Greenview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Glasford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kingston Mines
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Mapleton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Trivoli
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hanna City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bartonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Maxwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Bellevue
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Norwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Norwood is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
    • Elmwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Edwards
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Pottstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pottstown is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
  • Schuyler County
    • Bluff City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Radville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville
    • Talbott
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Talbott is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbott
    • Parkland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Parkland is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
    • Stoehrs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Stoehrs is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoehrs
    • Midway
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Midway is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Powerton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Powerton is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powerton
    • Crescent
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Hawley ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Hawley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
    • South Pekin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • South Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
    • Pekin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pekin <1>
    • Schaeferville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Schaeferville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schaeferville
    • Green Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Banner, with the one closest to Banner listed first.
    • Bay View Gardens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
    • Germantown Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Bay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people

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

Cemeteries Near Banner ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Banner.

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 Banner - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Banner covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Utica Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Walnut Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Kings Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Bybee Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Breeds Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Orendorff Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Red School Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Hinkle Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • White Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Highbridge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Pollitt Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (333 more) ...
    • Springlake Twp. Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wolf Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lancaster Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)

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, Banner had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Banner had a population of 178 people.

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

  • Breeds
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Breeds is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
  • Monterey
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Monterey is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
  • Rawalts
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rawalts is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawalts
  • Dunfermline
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Glasford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint David
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Kingston Mines
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Canton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Maples Mill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Maples Mill is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples Mill
  • Liverpool
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Union
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Union is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
  • Manito
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Bryant
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Forest City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Mapleton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Banner ...

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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around Banner.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Banner, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Banner.

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 websites either 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 Banner:

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 Banner, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Banner) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.