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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Bourbonais. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Bourbonais to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Bourbonais, please Contact Us.

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 Bourbonais (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 Bourbonais. 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 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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Bourbonais is historic, it would have been located within present day Bureau 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 Bureau County: Henry, La Salle, Lee, Marshall, Putnam, Stark & Whiteside.

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

  • Bureau County     (The home county of Bourbonais)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Wyanet
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Buda
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Sheffield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Manlius
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Tiskilwa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Neponset
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Princeton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Milo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Milo is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
    • Mineral
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • New Bedford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Dover
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Limerick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • Bureau Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Bureau Junction is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bureau Junction
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
      • Bureau Junction has also been known as:
      • Bureau
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bureau Junction <2>
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Annawan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Kewanee
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hooppole
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Atkinson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Galva
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bishop Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Geneseo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cambridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Cedar Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Peru
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Peru is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,612 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peru <2>
    • La Salle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Oglesby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Troy Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Priscilla ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Priscilla is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priscilla
    • Tonica
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Harmon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Amboy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sublette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Camp Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Henry
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Henry is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,230 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henry <2>
    • Sparland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Lacon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Lacon is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,713 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacon <2>
    • Hopewell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Hopewell is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Varna
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Edelstein
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Princeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • West Hallock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • West Hallock is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hallock
    • Chillicothe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Monica
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Monica is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Putnam
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hennepin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Mark
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Granville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Standard
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • McNabb
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Palatine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine
    • Magnolia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Stark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Bradford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Osceola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Osceola is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Modena
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Modena is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
    • Castleton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Wyoming
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Toulon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • La Fayette
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Speer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • West Jersey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • West Jersey is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bourbonais, with the one closest to Bourbonais listed first.
    • Deer Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Tampico
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Prophetstown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lyndon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Sterling
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Denrock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Denrock is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denrock
    • Pratt ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pratt is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt

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

Cemeteries Near Bourbonais ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bourbonais.

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

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

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

  • Fifield Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Hopeland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bunker Hills Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Sapp Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Sheffield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Walnut Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • County Home Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Triplett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (235 more) ...
    • Aldrich Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wood Family Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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.

While we didn't find Bourbonais in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bourbonais.

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

  • Buda
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Wyanet
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Providence
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Providence is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
  • Sheffield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Manlius
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Tiskilwa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Neponset
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Princeton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Milo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Milo is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
  • Mineral
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Osceola
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Osceola is located in Stark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
  • Bradford
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • New Bedford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Dover
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Limerick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick

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

Newspapers Published in Bourbonais ...

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 125 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bourbonais.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bourbonais, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bourbonais.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Bourbonais:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Bourbonais, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bourbonais) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.