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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 Blue Ridge (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 Blue Ridge. 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.

Name Variations for Blue Ridge ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Blue Ridge: Blue Rdg. (or less commonly used: Blue Rdge. or Blue Ridg.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Blue Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Blue Ridge.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Blue Ridge is located in Piatt 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 Piatt County: Champaign, De Witt, Douglas, Macon, McLean & Moultrie.

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

  • Piatt County     (The home county of Blue Ridge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Mansfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • White Heath
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • De Land
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Monticello
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cisco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bement
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Milmine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Voorhies
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Voorhies is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voorhies
    • Cerro Gordo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Lotus
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lotus is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
    • Fisher
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
    • Foosland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake of the Woods
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
    • Mahomet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dewey
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Seymour
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Bondville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Prospect
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
    • Staley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Staley is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
    • Thomasboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Champaign
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rantoul
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Farmer City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Watkins
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
    • Parnell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Parnell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
    • Fullerton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
    • De Witt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • De Witt is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Weldon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lane
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Birkbeck
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
    • Wapella
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Clinton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Hayes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Hayes is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
    • Chicken Bristle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Chicken Bristle is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicken Bristle
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Proctor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Gibson City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Gibson City is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
      • Gibson City has also been known as:
      • Gibson
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <1>
    • Garber
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Elliott
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sibley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Melvin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Paxton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Roberts
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Iroquois County
    • Loda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Loda is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <1>
  • Livingston County
    • Strawn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Argenta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Maroa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Oreana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
    • Laurette
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Laurette is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
    • Bellflower
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Kumler
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Kumler is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
    • Glen Avon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Glen Avon is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
    • Saybrook
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Arrowsmith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Le Roy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Ellsworth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Anchor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Colfax
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Cooksville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cropsey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Downs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Blue Ridge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blue Ridge.

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 Blue Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Dunkard Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Blue Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Mansfield Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Bellflower Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Mahomet Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahomet Cemetery
    • The Mahomet Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Middletown Cemetery
    • Village Cemetery
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Naylor Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylor Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Naylor Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of Fisher.
    • The Naylor Cemetery has also been known as:
    • United Brethren Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107120 <2>
  • Argo Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Bryant Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Phillippe Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillippe Cemetery
    • The Phillippe Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Methodist Episcopal Cemetery
  • Knife Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knife Cemetery
    • The Knife Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Knife - Stout Cemetery
    • Pusey Cemetery
    • Pusey / Knife Cemetery
    • Stout Cemetery
  • Continue List   (217 more) ...

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Blue Ridge had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Osman
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Osman is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osman
  • Mansfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Dickerson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Dickerson is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickerson
  • Laurette
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Laurette is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
  • Kumler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Kumler is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
  • Harris
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Harris is located in Piatt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
  • Weedman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Weedman is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weedman
  • Mahomet
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fisher
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fisher is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
  • Foosland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Farmer City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Galesville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Galesville is located in Piatt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesville
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Harpster
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Harpster is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpster
    • Proctor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Sabina
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sabina is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabina

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

Newspapers Published in Blue Ridge ...

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 104 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blue Ridge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blue Ridge, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blue Ridge.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Blue Ridge:

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>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- Blue Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Blue Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.