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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 Chatsworth (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 Chatsworth. 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 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 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.

Chatsworth is located in Livingston 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 Livingston County: Ford, Grundy, Kankakee, La Salle, McLean & Woodford.

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

  • Livingston County     (The home county of Chatsworth)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • Charlotte
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
    • Forrest
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Wing
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Wing is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
    • Cullom
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Strawn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Griswold
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Griswold is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
    • Saunemin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Fairbury
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Avoca ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Avoca is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
    • Eylar
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Eylar is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
    • Emington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Swygert
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Swygert is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swygert
    • McDowell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • McDowell is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • Ludlow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Foosland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dewey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Fisher
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
    • Prospect
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • Piper City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Roberts
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Kempton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Melvin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Sibley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Cabery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Garber
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Elliott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Gibson City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Gibson City is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
      • Gibson City has also been known as:
      • Gibson
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <1>
    • Paxton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Proctor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • Clarke City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Clarke City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarke City
    • East Brooklyn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • East Brooklyn is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brooklyn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • South Wilmington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • South Wilmington is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wilmington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
    • Gardner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Iroquois County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • La Hogue
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
    • Thawville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridgeville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
    • Del Rey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
    • Gilman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Onarga
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Danforth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Buckley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashkum
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Loda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Loda is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <1>
    • Crescent City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Clifton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Cissna Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • Buckingham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Reddick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Herscher
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Union Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Irwin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Irwin is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Goodrich
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
    • Bonfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Otto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Otto is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
    • Sammons Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Sammons Point is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sammons Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
      • Sammons Point has also been known as:
      • Sammons Point village
    • Essex
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Limestone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Limestone is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chatsworth, with the one closest to Chatsworth listed first.
    • Cropsey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Weston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Weston is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
    • Anchor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Colfax
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chenoa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Saybrook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cooksville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lexington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Meadows
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Meadows is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
    • Arrowsmith
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bellflower
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellsworth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Gridley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Vermilion County
    • Rankin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Chatsworth ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chatsworth.

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

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

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

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 Chatsworth had a population of 827 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Chatsworth had a population of 1,104 people.

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

  • Charlotte
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
  • Piper City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Risk
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Risk is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Risk
  • Strawn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cullom
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Thawville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • La Hogue
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
  • Griswold
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Griswold is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
  • Roberts
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Saunemin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairbury
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Sibley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Melvin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Ridgeville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
    • Scovel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Scovel is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scovel

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chatsworth ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chatsworth.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chatsworth. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chatsworth and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chatsworth.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Chatsworth.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Chatsworth:

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