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 Bradford (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 Bradford. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Bradford is located in Stark 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 Stark County: Bureau, Henry, Knox, Marshall & Peoria.
Below are the counties that are near Bradford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bradford:
- Stark County (The home county of Bradford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Castleton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Modena
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Osceola
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Osceola is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Wyoming
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Toulon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Speer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- West Jersey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- La Fayette
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bureau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Milo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Milo is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Buda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Neponset
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tiskilwa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sheffield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Wyanet
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Bureau Junction
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- 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 <1>
- Princeton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mineral
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Manlius
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- De Pue
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- De Pue is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Pue
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,665 people
- Dover
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hollowayville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hollowayville is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollowayville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Kewanee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Galva
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Annawan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Atkinson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hooppole
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cambridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Victoria
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Altona
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Dahinda
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oneida
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- La Salle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Priscilla ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Priscilla is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priscilla
- Cedar Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Peru
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Tonica
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Camp Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sparland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Henry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Hopewell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hopewell is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
- Lacon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Varna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- La Rose
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Toluca
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Evans ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Evans is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
- Peoria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Edelstein
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Princeville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- West Hallock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- West Hallock is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hallock
- Chillicothe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Monica
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Monica is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
- Rome
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Dunlap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Elmore
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elmore is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Laura
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mossville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Brimfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Orange Prairie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Keller
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Keller is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Putnam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Hennepin
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Mark
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Granville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- McNabb
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Magnolia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Mount Palatine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine
- Standard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Whiteside County
- Deer Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Spring Bay
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
- Bay View Gardens
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
- Washburn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Germantown Hills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Metamora
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bradford, see our County-by-County Page for Bradford.
Cemeteries Near Bradford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bradford.
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 Bradford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bradford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Bradford Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. John Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hall Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Champion - Drawyer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Smith Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mound Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Cemetery
- The Mound Cemetery has also been known as:
- Boyds Grove Cemetery
- Boyds Grove Methodist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104840 <2>
- Milo Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Eagleston Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Osceola Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Snareville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grant Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (262 more) ...
- Osceola Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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 Bradford had a population of 604 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bradford had a population of 668 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bradford, with the one closest to Bradford listed first.
- Castleton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Milo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Milo is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Waldron ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Waldron is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
- Modena
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Osceola
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Osceola is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Providence
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Providence is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Whitefield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Whitefield is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitefield
- Wyoming
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Elmira
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Neponset
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Buda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Tiskilwa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Toulon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Saxon ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Saxon is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxon
- Stark
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Stark is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stark
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bradford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bradford.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bradford ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bradford.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bradford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bradford and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bradford.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Bradford.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Bradford:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Stark County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bureau County
- Henry County
- Knox County
- La Salle County
- Marshall County
- Peoria County
- Putnam County
- Whiteside County
- Woodford 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 Bradford, 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- Bradford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |