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 Birchwood (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 Birchwood. 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 and hospitals 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.
Birchwood 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 Birchwood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Birchwood:
- Cook County (The home county of Birchwood)
- The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- South Evanston
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- South Evanston is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Evanston
- Evanston
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bowmanville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bowmanville is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
- Lincolnwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Wilmette
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Buena Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Park
- Albany Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Albany Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany Park
- Skokie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kenilworth
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
- Maplewood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Maplewood is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplewood
- Grayland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grayland is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayland
- Golf
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- Bensenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Elmhurst
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Elmhurst
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
- Wood Dale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Villa Park
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Villa Park is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
- Addison
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Itasca
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Oak Brook Terrace
(19 miles [30.6 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
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Utopia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Utopia is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- York Center
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- York Center is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
- Former name for York Center:
- York Centre
- Medinah
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hinsdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Kane County
- East Dundee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- Braeside
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Braeside is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
- Ravinia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ravinia is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
- Highland Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Deerfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Highwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Riverwoods
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bannockburn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Buffalo Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lincolnshire
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Aptakisic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Aptakisic is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
- Lake Forest
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie View
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie View is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie View
- Lake Bluff
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- McHenry County
- Fox River Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- Colonial Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Winston Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Winston Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
- Bolingbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Goodings Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Goodings Grove is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
- Lake County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- Whiting
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- East Chicago
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hammond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hessville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Birchwood, see our County-by-County Page for Birchwood.
Cemeteries Near Birchwood ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Birchwood.
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 Birchwood - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Birchwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- Calvary Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
- The Calvary Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Chicago.
- The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
- Calvary Catholic Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105009 <2>
- St. Henry Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Rosehill Mausoleum
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rosehill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- New Light Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ridge Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bohemian National Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohemian National Cemetery
- 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. Boniface Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Getty Tomb
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Montrose Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Luke Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Luke Cemetery
- 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>
- Graceland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (247 more) ...
- Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wunder's Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wunder's Cemetery
- The Wunder's Cemetery is located in Buena Park.
- The Wunder's Cemetery has also been known as:
- Wunders Lutheran Cemetery
- Memorial Park Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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, Birchwood had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Birchwood, with the one closest to Birchwood listed first.
- Rogers Park
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Rogers Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Park
- South Evanston
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- South Evanston is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Evanston
- Summerdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Summerdale is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerdale
- Edgewater
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Edgewater is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater
- Evanston
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bowmanville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bowmanville is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
- Ravenswood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Ravenswood is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
- North Evanston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- North Evanston is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Evanston
- Cuyler
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cuyler is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuyler
- Buena Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Buena Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Park
- Wilmette
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Mayfair
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mayfair is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfair
- Irving Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Irving Park is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving Park
- Avondale
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Avondale is also located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Birchwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Birchwood.
Newspapers Published in Birchwood ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Birchwood.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Birchwood, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Birchwood.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Birchwood:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Cook County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- McHenry 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 Birchwood, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Birchwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |