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 Block (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 Block. 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 and doctors 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.
Block is located in Champaign 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 Champaign County: Douglas, Edgar, Ford, McLean, Piatt & Vermilion.
Below are the counties that are near Block. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Block:
- Champaign County (The home county of Block)
- The following are listed by their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Sidney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Rutherford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rutherford is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Philo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Longview
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Broadlands
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Homer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mira
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mira is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mira
- Tolono
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mayview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mayview is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
- Saint Joseph
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Savoy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pesotum
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Coles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Oakland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Rardin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Rardin is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rardin
- Bushton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bushton is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushton
- Saint Omer ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Saint Omer is located in Coles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Omer
- Humboldt
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ashmore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Douglas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Fairland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Fairland is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Villa Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Villa Grove is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,414 people
- Murdock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Camargo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Newman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hayes
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hayes is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
- Patterson Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson Springs is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
- Tuscola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chicken Bristle
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chicken Bristle is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicken Bristle
- Ficklin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Ficklin is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ficklin
- Hindsboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Kemp
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Kemp is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kemp
- Edgar County
- The following are listed by their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Palermo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Palermo is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
- Hume
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Metcalf
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Brocton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Borton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Borton is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borton
- Chrisman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomfield is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Redmon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Scottland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Scottland is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottland
- Kansas
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Conlogue
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Conlogue is located in Edgar County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conlogue
- Logan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Moultrie County
- Cadwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cadwell is located in Moultrie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadwell
- Piatt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Atwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- White Heath
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Bement
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Monticello
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Voorhies
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Voorhies is located in Piatt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
- Mansfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hammond
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Milmine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Vermilion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Allerton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Archie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Archie is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archie
- Fairmount
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Sidell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Fithian
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Muncie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Indianola
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Oakwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Belgium Row
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Belgium Row is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgium Row
- Glenburn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Glenburn is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenburn
- Missionfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Missionfield is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionfield
- Busenville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Busenville is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busenville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Block, see our County-by-County Page for Block.
Cemeteries Near Block ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Block.
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 Block - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Block covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Lynn Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph Cemetery
- The St. Joseph Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bongard Cemetery
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
- The Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ayers Luthern Cemetery
- Bliss Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss Cemetery
- The Bliss Cemetery has also been known as:
- Old Bliss Cemetery
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Calvary Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
- The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
- Calvary Catholic Cemetery
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. John Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lost Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jordan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (292 more) ...
- Umbenhower Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Old Huss Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Bill Huss Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
While we didn't find Block in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Block.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Block, with the one closest to Block listed first.
- Sidney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Philo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fairland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Fairland is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Deers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Deers is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deers
- Broadlands
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Villa Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Villa Grove is located in Douglas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,414 people
- Allerton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mira
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mira is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mira
- Homer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tolono
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Pesotum
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Saint Joseph
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Savoy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mayview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mayview is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
- Murdock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Block. See our List of 1890's Communities around Block.
Newspapers Published in Block ...
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 132 newspapers that have been published in the area around Block.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Block, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Block.
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 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 Block:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Champaign County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Coles County
- Douglas County
- Edgar County
- Moultrie County
- Piatt County
- Vermilion 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 Block, 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- Block) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |