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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 East Galesburg (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 East Galesburg. 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.

Name Variations for East Galesburg ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for East Galesburg: E. Galesburg

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

East Galesburg is located in Knox 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 Knox County: Fulton, Henry, Mercer, Peoria, Stark & Warren.

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

  • Knox County     (The home county of East Galesburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • Knoxville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Knox
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Knox is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
    • Galesburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Henderson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Wataga
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Appleton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Appleton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
    • Henderson Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Henderson Grove is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Grove
    • De Long
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • De Long is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Long
    • Gilson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Dahinda
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Oneida
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Abingdon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Maquon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • London Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Avon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Ellisville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Fairview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Farmington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Babylon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Babylon is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babylon
    • Bybee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Bybee is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
    • Blyton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Blyton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blyton
    • Norris
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Checkrow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Checkrow is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Checkrow
    • Fiatt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Brereton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Brereton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
    • Canton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • Rozetta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Rozetta is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozetta
    • Media
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Media is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
    • Biggsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Biggsville is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • Woodhull
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Alpha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bishop Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Galva
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Ophiem
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Ophiem is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophiem
    • Andover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lynn Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cambridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Osco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Orion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Kewanee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Morristown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Morristown is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morristown
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • Prairie City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Prairie City is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
    • Bushnell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • North Henderson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Alexis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • New Windsor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • New Windsor is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Windsor
    • Windsor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Windsor is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 760 people
    • Norwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Norwood is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • Burgess
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Burgess is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgess
    • Griffin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffin is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • Viola
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilchrist
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilchrist is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilchrist
    • Shale City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Shale City is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shale City
    • Sunbeam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Sunbeam is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbeam
    • Matherville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Seaton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • Elmore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Elmore is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
    • Laura
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Elmwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brimfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Monica
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Monica is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
    • Trivoli
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Princeville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Stark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • West Jersey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • West Jersey is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
    • La Fayette
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Toulon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Wyoming
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Galesburg, with the one closest to East Galesburg listed first.
    • Surrey
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Surrey is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
    • Utah
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Utah is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utah
    • Cameron
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Shanghai City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Shanghai City is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai City
    • Berwick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Gerlaw
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Monmouth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Eleanor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Eleanor is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleanor
    • Roseville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Kirkwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Little York
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Youngstown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Youngstown is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
    • Smithshire
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near East Galesburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of East Galesburg.

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 East Galesburg - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Butterfield Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Knoxville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Knoxville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Knoxville.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #343431 <2>
  • Alm's House Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Swedish Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Van Gilder Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • State of Illinois Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State of Illinois Cemetery
    • The State of Illinois Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Galesburg Research Cemetery
  • East Linwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Linwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Linwood Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Galesburg.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106629 <2>
  • Memorial Park Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memorial Park Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Memorial Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Galesburg.
    • The Memorial Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Galesburg Memorial Park Cemetery
    • Memorial Cemetery
    • Memorial Park
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106863 <2>
  • Continue List   (298 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 East Galesburg in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of East Galesburg.

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

  • Knoxville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Knox
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Knox is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
  • Galesburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Henderson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Wataga
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Saluda
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Saluda is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saluda
  • Appleton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Appleton is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
  • Surrey
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Surrey is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
  • De Long
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • De Long is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Long
  • Gilson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ontario
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Ontario is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
  • Utah
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Utah is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utah
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Abingdon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Dahinda
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Oneida
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of East Galesburg ...

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 225 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Galesburg.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 East Galesburg:

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 East Galesburg, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- East Galesburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.