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 Central (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 Central. 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 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.
Central is located in Kendall 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 Kendall County: DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, La Salle & Will.
Below are the counties that are near Central. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Central:
- Kendall County (The home county of Central)
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Lisbon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Lisbon is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Plattville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Plattville is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
- Newark
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Millbrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Yorkville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Bristol
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Plano
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Oswego
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Boulder Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
- Montgomery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Little Rock
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Little Rock is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock
- Cook County
- Lemont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Sandwich
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Somonauk
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Franks
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Franks is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
- Hinckley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Waterman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Shabbona Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove
- Shabbona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Eola
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Naperville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Warrenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Woodridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tedens ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tedens is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
- West Chicago
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- West Chicago is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,593 people
- Darien
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lisle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Winfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Sand Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
- Morris
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Nettle Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nettle Creek is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettle Creek
- Minooka
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Claypool
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Claypool is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Gaslight Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
- Channahon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wauponsee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wauponsee is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauponsee
- Carbon Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Coal City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Diamond
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Centerville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Centerville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Aurora
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Big Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- North Aurora
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- North Aurora is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Aurora
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
- Mooseheart
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kaneville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Batavia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Elburn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Geneva
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kankakee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Essex
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Reddick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bonfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Union Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- La Salle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Millington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Stavanger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stavanger is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stavanger
- Sheridan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Seneca
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Seneca is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,217 people
- Seneca has also been known as:
- Crotty
- Seneca village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seneca <1>
- Serena
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Blakes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Blakes is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
- Wedron
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Marseilles
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Dayton is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Baker
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Baker is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Leland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ottawa
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Radley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Radley is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radley
- East Paw Paw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- East Paw Paw is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Paw Paw
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Dwight
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Sunbury
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Sunbury is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbury
- Adams ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Adams is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Budd
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Budd is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Budd
- Cardiff
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cardiff is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardiff
- Blackstone
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Missal
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Missal is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missal
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Shorewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Summerfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Summerfield is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Blodgett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Blodgett is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blodgett
- Crystal Lawns
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Crystal Lawns is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lawns
- Plainfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Walker
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Walker is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Rockdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Rockdale is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,884 people
- Normantown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Normantown is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normantown
- Elwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Crest Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Braidwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Godley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Godley is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Central, see our County-by-County Page for Central.
Cemeteries Near Central ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Central.
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 Central - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Central covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- Munger Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Saratoga Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga Cemetery
- The Saratoga Cemetery has also been known as:
- Conklin Cemetery
- Osman Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108142 <2>
- Lisbon Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Plattville Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Plattville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cryder Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Catholic North Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Aux Sable Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- West Lisbon Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Helmar Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Holderman & Hoge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (284 more) ...
- Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cross Lutheran Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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>
While we didn't find Central in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Central.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
- White Willow ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- White Willow is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Willow
- Lisbon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Lisbon is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Plattville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Plattville is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
- Sand Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
- Nettle Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nettle Creek is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettle Creek
- Morris
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Minooka
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Newark
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pavillion
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Pavillion is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavillion
- Divine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Divine is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divine
- Channahon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Stavanger
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stavanger is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stavanger
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Fox
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Fox is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
- Millbrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Millington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Central. See our List of 1890's Communities around Central.
Newspapers Published in Central ...
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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Central.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Central, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Central.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Central:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Kendall County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cook County
- DeKalb County
- DuPage County
- Grundy County
- Kane County
- Kankakee County
- La Salle County
- Lee County
- Livingston County
- Will 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 Central, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Central) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |