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 Edison (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 Edison. 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.
Edison 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 Edison. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Edison:
- Cook County (The home county of Edison)
- The following are listed by their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- Park Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Niles
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Norridge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Harwood Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rosemont
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jefferson Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
- Morton Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dunning
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Dunning is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunning
- Schiller Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lincolnwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Golf
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Des Plaines
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Albany Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Albany Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany Park
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- Bensenville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wood Dale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Elmhurst
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Addison
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- South Elmhurst
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
- Itasca
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Villa Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Villa Park is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
- Medinah
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Brook Terrace
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- 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
- Oak Brook
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Utopia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Utopia is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- York Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- York Center is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
- Bloomingdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- East Dundee
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Elgin
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Coleman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Coleman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Carpentersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Geneva
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Saint Charles
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Sleepy Hollow
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- South Elgin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- South Elgin is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people
- Batavia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Dundee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mooseheart
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bonnie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bonnie is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnie
- Bonnie has also been known as:
- Bonnie Valley
- Gilberts
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- Braeside
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Braeside is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
- Deerfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ravinia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ravinia is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
- Highland Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Riverwoods
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Buffalo Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bannockburn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Highwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lincolnshire
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Aptakisic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Aptakisic is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
- Prairie View
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie View is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie View
- Long Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Deer Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- McHenry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- Fox River Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Trout Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Trout Valley is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
- Algonquin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cary
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Island Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Island Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,951 people
- Lake-in-the-Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood Hills is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,011 people
- Barreville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barreville is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barreville
- Holiday Hills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Holiday Hills is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 574 people
- Prairie Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie Grove is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,920 people
- Crystal Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lakemoor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- Colonial Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Winston Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Winston Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
- Bolingbrook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomfield Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
- Goodings Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Goodings Grove is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
- Romeoville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Homer Glen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Lockport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lake County (IN)
- Whiting
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Edison, see our County-by-County Page for Edison.
Cemeteries Near Edison ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Edison.
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 Edison - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Edison covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- All Saints Polish National Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Immaculate Conception Monastery Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Union Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Norwood Park Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery
- The St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- Old Bohemian Cemetery
- Old Polish Cemetery
- St. Adalbert Cemetery
- St. Stanislaus Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107817 <2>
- Town of Maine Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Indian Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Westlawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Westlawn Jewish Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Beth Jacob Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- St. Matthews Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Continue List (310 more) ...
- Maryhill Catholic Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryhill Catholic Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Maryhill Catholic Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Niles.
- The Maryhill Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mary Hill Cemetery
- Maryhill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106764 <2>
- Acacia Park Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Irving Park Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving Park Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Irving Park Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Norridge.
- The Irving Park Cemetery has also been known as:
- Irving Park Boulevard Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106325 <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 Edison in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Edison.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Edison, with the one closest to Edison listed first.
- Park Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Niles
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Dunning
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Dunning is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunning
- Jefferson Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
- Morton Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mayfair
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mayfair is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfair
- Des Plaines
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- River Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mont Clare
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mont Clare is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mont Clare
- Galewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Galewood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galewood
- Grayland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Grayland is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayland
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Irving Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Irving Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving Park
- Bensenville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- The Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- The Grove is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Grove
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Edison. See our List of 1890's Communities around Edison.
Newspapers Published in Edison ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Edison.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Edison, 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 Edison.
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 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 Edison:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Cook County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- McHenry County
- Will County
- Lake 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 Edison, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Edison) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |