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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 Chatham Fields (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 Chatham Fields. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Chatham Fields is located in Cook 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 Cook County: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Lake (IN) & Berrien (MI).

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

  • Cook County     (The home county of Chatham Fields)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Fields, with the one closest to Chatham Fields listed first.
    • Chatham
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Chatham is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
    • Brookdale
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Brookdale is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookdale
    • Burnside
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Burnside is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
    • Englewood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Englewood is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
    • Calumet Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Calumet Heights is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet Heights
    • Stony Island
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Stony Island is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Island
    • South Englewood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • South Englewood is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Englewood
    • South Chicago
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • South Chicago is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chicago
    • Hyde Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Washington Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Washington Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Park
    • Pullman
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Pullman is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman
    • Washington Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Washington Heights is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Heights
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Fields, with the one closest to Chatham Fields listed first.
    • Hinsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Willowbrook
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Clarendon Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Oak Brook
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • South Elmhurst
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
    • Darien
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Oak Brook Terrace is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook Terrace
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
    • Tedens ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Tedens is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
    • Westmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Elmhurst
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Utopia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
    • York Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • York Center is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Fields, with the one closest to Chatham Fields listed first.
    • Braeside
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Braeside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
    • Ravinia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Ravinia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Fields, with the one closest to Chatham Fields listed first.
    • Frankfort Square
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Frankfort Square is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
    • Goodings Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
    • Steger
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Homer Glen
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Homer Glen is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Glen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,281 people
      • Homer Glen has also been known as:
      • Homer Glen village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer Glen <1>
    • Crete
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Willowbrook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Mokena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • University Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Frankfort
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gilletts ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Gilletts is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
    • Bolingbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Colonial Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Colonial Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
  • Lake County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Fields, with the one closest to Chatham Fields listed first.
    • Whiting
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • East Chicago
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hammond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hammond is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Hessville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
    • Munster
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Munster is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munster <1>
    • Highland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Gary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Gary is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,693 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <1>
    • Griffith
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dyer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
    • Hartsdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
    • Ross
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Ross is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
    • Schererville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Porter County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Fields, with the one closest to Chatham Fields listed first.
    • Ogden Dunes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Ogden Dunes is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden Dunes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,083 people
    • Portage
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Portage is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 37,137 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <1>
    • Willow Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Creek is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
    • Woodland Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodland Village is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • Burns Harbor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Dune Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Dune Acres is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dune Acres
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Wheeler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Wheeler is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Babcock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Babcock is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babcock
    • South Haven
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • South Haven is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Haven
    • Chesterton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Porter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Porter is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,840 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Porter <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Chatham Fields ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chatham Fields.

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 Chatham Fields - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Oak Woods Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • St. Mary Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Greenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Olivet Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Blue Island.
    • The Mt. Olivet Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107055 <2>
  • Cedar Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ever Rest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Beverly Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Beverly Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Blue Island.
    • The Beverly Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Beverly Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Beverly Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104753 <2>
  • St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lincoln Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (324 more) ...
    • Chapel Hills Gardens South
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hazel Green Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Restvale Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Restvale Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Restvale Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Alsip.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107649 <2>

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 Chatham Fields in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chatham Fields.

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

  • Grand Crossing
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Grand Crossing is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Crossing
  • Park Manor
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Park Manor is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Manor
  • South Shore
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • South Shore is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Shore
  • Parkside
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Parkside is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside
  • Brookdale
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Brookdale is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookdale
  • Brookline
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Brookline is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookline
  • Auburn Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Auburn Park is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn Park
  • Brainerd
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Brainerd is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brainerd
  • Stony Island
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Stony Island is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Island
  • Cheltenham
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Cheltenham is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheltenham
  • Englewood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Englewood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
  • South Englewood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • South Englewood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Englewood
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Washington Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Washington Heights is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Heights
    • Roseland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Roseland is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • Pullman
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Pullman is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman

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

Newspapers Published in Chatham Fields ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chatham Fields.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chatham Fields, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chatham Fields.

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 Chatham Fields:

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 Chatham Fields, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Chatham Fields) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.