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 Blaine (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 Blaine. 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 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.
Blaine is located in Boone 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 Boone County: DeKalb, McHenry, Ogle, Winnebago, Rock (WI) & Walworth (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Blaine. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blaine:
- Boone County (The home county of Blaine)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Capron
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Poplar Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Caledonia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Russellville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Russellville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Timberlane
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Timberlane is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
- Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
- Belvidere
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Garden Prairie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Irene
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Irene is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
- Herbert
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Herbert is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Fairdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Genoa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Kingston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Kirkland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- New Lebanon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- New Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
- Charter Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Charter Grove is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Grove
- Brush Point ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Brush Point is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Point
- Clare
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Esmond
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Hampshire
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Burlington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Freeman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Freeman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Starks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Starks is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- McHenry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Harvard
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Big Foot Prairie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Alden
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Marengo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Woodstock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Greenwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Greenwood is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Wonder Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wonder Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonder Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,837 people
- Wonder Lake has also been known as:
- Wonder Lake village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wonder Lake <1>
- Bull Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bull Valley is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,078 people
- Richmond
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ridgefield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgefield is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield
- Lakewood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ogle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Monroe Center
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Davis Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lindenwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Holcomb
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stillman Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Winnebago County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Argyle
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Argyle is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Roscoe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- South Beloit
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Loves Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Machesney Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rockton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Sturbridge Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sturbridge Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge Village
- Cherry Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rockford
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- North Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- North Park is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Park
- Shirland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Indian Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Wempletown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
- Dane County (WI)
- Edgerton Beach Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Edgerton Beach Park is located in Dane County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton Beach Park
- Jefferson County (WI)
- Cold Spring
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cold Spring is located in Jefferson County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Spring
- Kenosha County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Powers Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Powers Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers Lake
- Slades Corners
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Slades Corners is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slades Corners
- Twin Lakes
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,234 people
- Racine County (WI)
- Bohners Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bohners Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
- Rock County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Clinton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clinton is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,119 people
- Shopiere
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shopiere is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopiere
- Tiffany
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tiffany is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiffany
- Beloit
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Beloit is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36,637 people
- Avalon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Avalon is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
- Garden Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Garden Village is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Emerald Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Emerald Grove is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Grove
- Johnstown Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Johnstown Center is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown Center
- Johnstown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Johnstown is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Janesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Janesville is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,664 people
- Hanover
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hanover is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
- Newark
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Newark is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Lima Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lima Center is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima Center
- Walworth County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Sharon
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Allens Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Allens Grove is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Grove
- Big Foot Prairie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Darien
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Darien is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
- Walworth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Walworth is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
- Delavan Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Delavan Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan Lake
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,743 people
- Delavan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Delavan is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,240 people
- Zenda
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Zenda is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
- Williams Bay
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Williams Bay is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,657 people
- Richmond
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Richmond is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Lake Como
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como
- Como
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blaine, see our County-by-County Page for Blaine.
Cemeteries Near Blaine ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blaine.
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 Blaine - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blaine covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Blaine Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Tound Prairie Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Stone School Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- East Jefferson Prairie Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Livingston Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Capron Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dullam Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Burr Oak Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Clark Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Popular Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- South Poplar Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (262 more) ...
- Long Prairie Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Prairie Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Long Prairie Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Capron.
- The Long Prairie Cemetery has also been known as:
- Brick Church Cemetery
- Capron Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- East Capron
- Hauges Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105495 <2>
- Chester Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Catherine Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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 Blaine had a population of 83 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blaine, with the one closest to Blaine listed first.
- Hunter
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hunter is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
- Capron
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Poplar Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sharon
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Caledonia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chemung
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Chemung is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemung
- Clinton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clinton is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,119 people
- Lawrence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lawrence is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence
- Argyle
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Argyle is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Harvard
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Allens Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Allens Grove is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Grove
- Porters
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Porters is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porters
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Roscoe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Big Foot Prairie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Darien
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Darien is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blaine. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blaine.
Newspapers Published in Blaine ...
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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blaine.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blaine, 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 Blaine.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Blaine:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Boone County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DeKalb County
- Kane County
- McHenry County
- Ogle County
- Winnebago County
- Dane County
- Jefferson County
- Kenosha County
- Racine County
- Rock County
- Walworth 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 Blaine, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Blaine) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |