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 El Vista (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 El Vista. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
El Vista is located in Peoria 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 Peoria County: Fulton, Knox, Marshall, Stark, Tazewell & Woodford.
Below are the counties that are near El Vista. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to El Vista:
- Peoria County (The home county of El Vista)
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Pottstown
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Pottstown is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
- North Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- North Peoria is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
- Keller
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Keller is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- West Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Peoria Heights
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Orange Prairie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bellevue
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bellevue is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
- Norwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Norwood is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
- Maxwell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Maxwell is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Bartonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Edwards
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Breeds
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Breeds is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
- Farmington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Banner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Brereton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Brereton is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
- Norris
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Canton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dunfermline
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Saint David
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bryant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Liverpool
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bybee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bybee is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Yates City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Williamsfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dahinda
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Maquon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Logan County
- Emden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Hopewell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
- Sparland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lacon
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Camp Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- La Rose
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Varna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Manito
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Union is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Forest City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Forest City is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Goofy Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
- San Jose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Carlock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Danvers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Danvers is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
- Danvers has also been known as:
- Danver
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <1>
- Stanford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Stark County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Speer
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Wyoming
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- West Jersey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- Castleton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Toulon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Modena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Bradford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- East Peoria
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- East Peoria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Peoria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 22,344 people
- Former name for East Peoria:
- Hilton
- Trailpark Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Trailpark Gardens is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailpark Gardens
- Wesley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Wesley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Creve Coeur
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Creve Coeur is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creve Coeur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,109 people
- Former name for Creve Coeur:
- Wesley City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Creve Coeur <1>
- Highway Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Highway Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway Village
- Robein
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Robein is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robein
- Harvard Hills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Harvard Hills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Hills
- Sunnyland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Marquette Heights
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Marquette Heights is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,617 people
- North Pekin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- North Pekin is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pekin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,530 people
- Former name for North Pekin:
- Radio City
- Farmdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
- Beverly Manor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Beverly Manor is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Manor
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Germantown Hills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bay View Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
- Spring Bay
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
- Metamora
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Eureka
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Goodfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Washburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Roanoke
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Congerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Secor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Benson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to El Vista, see our County-by-County Page for El Vista.
Cemeteries Near El Vista ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of El Vista.
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 El Vista - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for El Vista covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Hebrew Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- St. Joseph's Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Parkview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Pottstown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Mary's of the Woods Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Springdale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Swan Lake Memory Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Resurrection Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Christ Episcopal Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Perria County Farm Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Koerner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (323 more) ...
- Fondulac Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fondulac Cemetery
- The Fondulac Cemetery has also been known as:
- Camlin Cemetery
- Cameron Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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 El Vista in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of El Vista.
These communities are listed based on their distance from El Vista, with the one closest to El Vista listed first.
- Pottstown
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Pottstown is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
- Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- North Peoria is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
- Keller
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Keller is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- Orange Prairie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Maxwell is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Kickapoo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kickapoo is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickapoo
- Wesley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Wesley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Alta
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bartonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mossville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Edwards
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Grove is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Farmdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
- Spring Bay
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around El Vista. See our List of 1890's Communities around El Vista.
Newspapers Published in El Vista ...
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 317 newspapers that have been published in the area around El Vista.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of El Vista, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for El Vista.
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 El Vista:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Peoria County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fulton County
- Knox County
- Logan County
- Marshall County
- Mason County
- McLean County
- Stark County
- Tazewell County
- Woodford 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 El Vista, 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- El Vista) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |