RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Lake County >> Briergate >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Briergate (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 Briergate. 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 doctors and 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.

Briergate is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Cook, McHenry, Allegan (MI), Berrien (MI), Van Buren (MI) & Kenosha (WI).

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Briergate)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briergate, with the one closest to Briergate listed first.
    • Highland Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Ravinia
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Ravinia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
    • Highwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Braeside
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Braeside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
    • Deerfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Bannockburn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Riverwoods
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lake Forest
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Lincolnshire
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Aptakisic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Aptakisic is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
    • Lake Bluff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Buffalo Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briergate, with the one closest to Briergate listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Colonial Village is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Northbrook
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Covenant Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Covenant Village is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covenant Village
    • Techny
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Glencoe
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Northfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Glenview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • The Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • The Grove is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
    • Winnetka
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wheeling
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Prospect Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Golf
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briergate, with the one closest to Briergate listed first.
    • Bensenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Wood Dale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Itasca
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Medinah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Addison
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Roselle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Elmhurst
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bloomingdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • South Elmhurst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
    • Villa Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Villa Park is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
    • Keeneyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Keeneyville is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeneyville
    • Cloverdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Cloverdale is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briergate, with the one closest to Briergate listed first.
    • East Dundee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Carpentersville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Elgin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Sleepy Hollow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • West Dundee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Coleman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Coleman is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • South Elgin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • South Elgin is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people
    • Gilberts
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Freeman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Freeman is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
  • McHenry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briergate, with the one closest to Briergate listed first.
    • Fox River Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Island Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Island Lake is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,951 people
    • Lakemoor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cary
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Cary is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,929 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cary <1>
    • Holiday Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Holiday Hills is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 574 people
    • Oakwood Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Oakwood Hills is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,011 people
    • Trout Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Trout Valley is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
    • Barreville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Barreville is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barreville
    • Algonquin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Prairie Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Prairie Grove is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,920 people
    • Johnsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake-in-the-Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Kenosha County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Briergate, with the one closest to Briergate listed first.
    • Fossland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Fossland is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fossland
    • Pleasant Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Prairie is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,373 people
    • Benet Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Benet Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benet Lake
    • Lake Shangrila
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Shangrila is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shangrila
    • Kenosha
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Kenosha is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenosha
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99,570 people
    • Woodworth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Woodworth is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
    • Bristol
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bristol is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,145 people
    • Camp Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
    • Salem Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Salem Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Lakes
      • Former names for Salem Lakes:
      • Salem
      • Silver Lake

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

Cemeteries Near Briergate ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Briergate.

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

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

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

  • Mooney Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Deerfield Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • North Northfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Northfield Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Ft. Sheridan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Wheeling Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunset Memorial Lawns
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Northfield Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield Oakwood Cemetery
    • The Northfield Oakwood Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oak Wood Cemetery
  • Continue List   (273 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.<3>

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

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

  • Highland Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Ravinia
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Ravinia is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
  • Deerfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Shermerville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Shermerville is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shermerville
  • North Northfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • North Northfield is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Northfield
  • Ridgeland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgeland is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeland
  • Glencoe
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake Forest
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Lakeview
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lakeview is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
  • Wheeling
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • The Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • The Grove is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
  • Half Day
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Half Day is located in Lake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Half Day
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Aptakisic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Aptakisic is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
    • Buffalo Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Lake Bluff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Briergate ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Briergate.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Briergate, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Briergate.

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 helpful 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 Briergate:

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 Briergate, 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' (or 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- Briergate) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.