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 Elsdon (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 Elsdon. 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 southeast 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 south.
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 south 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.
Elsdon 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 Elsdon. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Elsdon:
- Cook County (The home county of Elsdon)
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- West Elsdon
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- West Elsdon is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Elsdon
- Chicago Lawn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chicago Lawn is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Lawn
- New City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New City is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
- Stickney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Burbank
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Forest View
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Canaryville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Canaryville is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaryville
- Englewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Englewood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
- Cicero
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bridgeport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- LaVergne
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- LaVergne is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaVergne
- Hometown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bedford Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Hinsdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Willowbrook
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- South Elmhurst
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
- Clarendon Hills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Brook
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Elmhurst
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Darien
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Oak Brook Terrace
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- 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
- Utopia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Utopia is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- Westmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Villa Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Villa Park is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
- Tedens ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tedens is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
- Downers Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Aurora
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Batavia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Geneva
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Braeside
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Braeside is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
- Ravinia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ravinia is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
- Deerfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Highland Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Riverwoods
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Buffalo Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bannockburn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Highwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Lincolnshire
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Aptakisic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Aptakisic is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
- Prairie View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Prairie View is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie View
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Goodings Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Goodings Grove is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
- Homer Glen
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- 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>
- Colonial Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Colonial Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Winston Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Winston Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
- Frankfort Square
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Frankfort Square is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
- Bloomfield Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
- Bolingbrook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mokena
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Frankfort
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Lockport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Romeoville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Steger
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Gilletts ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gilletts is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
- Lake County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Whiting
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Chicago
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hammond
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hessville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
- Munster
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Highland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dyer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
- Gary
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Gary is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 74,693 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <1>
- Griffith
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Hartsdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
- Ross
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ross is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
- Schererville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Duneland Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Duneland Village is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duneland Village
- Porter County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Ogden Dunes
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Ogden Dunes is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden Dunes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,083 people
- Woodland Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Woodland Village is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Elsdon, see our County-by-County Page for Elsdon.
Cemeteries Near Elsdon ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elsdon.
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 Elsdon - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Elsdon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Mt. Auburn Memorial Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Mary Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Ressurection Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Resurrection Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Resurrection Catholic Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Justice.
- The Resurrection Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- Resurrection Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107652 <2>
- Bethania Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethania Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bethania Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Justice.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104715 <2>
- Mt. Greenwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Oak Woods Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Waldheim Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Joseph and Sons Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Free Sons of Israel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Waldheim Jewish Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (361 more) ...
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- St. John Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John Lutheran Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John Lutheran Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Hodgkins.
- The St. John Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Johns Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107905 <2>
- Lithuanian National Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Elsdon had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Elsdon, with the one closest to Elsdon listed first.
- Glendale
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Glendale is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Chicago Lawn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chicago Lawn is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Lawn
- South Lynn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- South Lynn is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lynn
- Brighton Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brighton Park is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton Park
- Corwith
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Corwith is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corwith
- Forest Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Forest Hill is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Crawford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Crawford is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- South Englewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- South Englewood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Englewood
- Englewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Englewood is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
- Bridgeport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Clyde
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clyde is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
- LaVergne
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- LaVergne is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaVergne
- Continue List (24 more) ...
- Summit
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mandell
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mandell is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mandell
- Oak Lawn
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Elsdon. See our List of 1890's Communities around Elsdon.
Newspapers Published in Elsdon ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elsdon.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elsdon, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elsdon.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Elsdon:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Cook County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- Will County
- Lake County
- Porter 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 Elsdon, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Elsdon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |