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 Ellis (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 Ellis. 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 and doctors 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.
Ellis is located in Vermilion 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 Vermilion County: Champaign, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Benton (IN), Vermillion (IN) & Warren (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Ellis. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ellis:
- Vermilion County (The home county of Ellis)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Armstrong
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Potomac
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rankin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- East Lynn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Collison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Henning
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rossville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Hoopeston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Newtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Newtown is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Alvin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Alvin is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Alvin has also been known as:
- Alvan Village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvin <1>
- Bismarck
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Glenburn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Glenburn is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenburn
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Penfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gifford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Royal
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Flatville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flatville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
- Ludlow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Rantoul
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Ogden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Thomasboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Prospect
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Prospect is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Saint Joseph
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Mayview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mayview is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
- Dewey
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Ford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Paxton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Elliott
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Roberts
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Melvin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Gibson City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- 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>
- Proctor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Garber
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Sibley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Iroquois County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Cissna Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Loda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Claytonville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Goodwine
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Wellington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Buckley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Schwer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Schwer is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwer
- Woodworth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Milford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Del Rey
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
- Stockland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Onarga
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Benton County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Ambia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ambia is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Talbot
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Dunn ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dunn is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Freeland Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Freeland Park is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland Park
- Boswell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fountain County (IN)
- Covington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vermillion County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Rileysburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rileysburg is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rileysburg
- Gessie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Gessie is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gessie
- Tree Spring
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tree Spring is located in Vermillion County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tree Spring
- Warren County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Pence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pence is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pence
- Hedrick
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hedrick is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
- Sloan ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Sloan is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
- State Line City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- State Line City is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- State Line
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- State Line is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- West Lebanon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- West Lebanon is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lebanon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 686 people
- Baltimore ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Baltimore is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
- Foster
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Foster is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
- Brisco ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Brisco is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisco
- Old Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Old Town is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ellis, see our County-by-County Page for Ellis.
Cemeteries Near Ellis ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ellis.
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 Ellis - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ellis covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Partlow Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partlow Cemetery
- The Partlow Cemetery has also been known as:
- New Partlow Cemetery
- Wallace Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace Chapel Cemetery
- The Wallace Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Judy Cemetery
- Ingersoll Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Patton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Chenoweth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Tomlinson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomlinson Cemetery
- The Tomlinson Cemetery has also been known as:
- Tomlinson Pioneer Cemetery
- St. Lawrence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Old Partlow Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Welles Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welles Cemetery
- The Welles Cemetery has also been known as:
- Comprise Cemetery
- Potomac Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Cemetery
- The Potomac Cemetery has also been known as:
- Morehead Cemetery
- Prairie Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (252 more) ...
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pellville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Knight's Branch Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knight's Branch Cemetery
- The Knight's Branch Cemetery has also been known as:
- Endicott Cemetery
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 Ellis in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ellis.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ellis, with the one closest to Ellis listed first.
- Armstrong
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Blue Grass ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Blue Grass is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Grass
- Penfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Potomac
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gifford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rankin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Clarence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clarence is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
- East Lynn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dillsburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Dillsburg is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsburg
- Hope
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Hope is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Higginsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Higginsville is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginsville
- Henning
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Vernal
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vernal is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernal
- Rossville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Flatville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flatville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ellis. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ellis.
Newspapers Published in Ellis ...
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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ellis.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ellis, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ellis.
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 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 Ellis:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Vermilion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Champaign County
- Ford County
- Iroquois County
- Benton County
- Fountain County
- Vermillion County
- Warren 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 Ellis, 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 from Point A (ie- Ellis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |