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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 Castleton (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 Castleton. 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.

Castleton 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 Castleton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Castleton:

  • Stark County     (The home county of Castleton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Modena
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Modena is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
    • Bradford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wyoming
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Osceola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Osceola is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Toulon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Speer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • West Jersey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • West Jersey is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
    • La Fayette
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Milo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Milo is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
    • Neponset
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Buda
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Tiskilwa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheffield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Wyanet
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Mineral
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Bureau Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Manlius
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • De Pue
      (25 miles [40.2 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Kewanee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Galva
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Annawan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bishop Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Atkinson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cambridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hooppole
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Williamsfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Victoria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Altona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Dahinda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Appleton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Appleton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
    • Oneida
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Yates City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wataga
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • La Salle County
    • Priscilla ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Priscilla is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priscilla
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Camp Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Hopewell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hopewell is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Sparland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lacon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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 <1>
    • Henry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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 <1>
    • Varna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • La Rose
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Toluca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Edelstein
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Princeville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • West Hallock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • West Hallock is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hallock
    • Monica
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Monica is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
    • Dunlap
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Chillicothe
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Laura
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Elmore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Elmore is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
    • Rome
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Brimfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mossville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Orange Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Putnam
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hennepin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mark
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Granville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Magnolia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • McNabb
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Mount Palatine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine
    • Standard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Trailpark Gardens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Trailpark Gardens is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailpark Gardens
    • Harvard Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Harvard Hills is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Hills
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castleton, with the one closest to Castleton listed first.
    • Spring Bay
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Germantown Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Metamora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Castleton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Castleton.

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

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

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

  • Eagleston Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Champion - Drawyer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Snareville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Pleasant Valley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Grant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Dominic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Wyoming Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bradford Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hall Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (273 more) ...
    • Osceola Grove Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mawbey Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Osceola Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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 Castleton had a population of 149 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Waldron ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Waldron is located in Stark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldron
  • Modena
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Modena is located in Stark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
  • Bradford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Wyoming
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Osceola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Osceola is located in Stark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
  • Elmira
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Toulon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Stark
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Stark is located in Stark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stark
  • Milo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Milo is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
  • Saxon ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Saxon is located in Henry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxon
  • Duncan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Duncan is located in Stark County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
  • Lawn Ridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Lawn Ridge is located in Marshall County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawn Ridge
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Whitefield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Whitefield is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitefield
    • Edelstein
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Providence
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Providence is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence

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

Newspapers Published in Castleton ...

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 133 newspapers that have been published in the area around Castleton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Castleton, 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 Castleton.

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 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 Castleton:

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