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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 Elwood (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 Elwood. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Elwood is located in Will County.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Will County: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall & Lake (IN).

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

  • Will County     (The home county of Elwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Blodgett
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blodgett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blodgett
      • Blodgett is located in Will County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blodgett
      • From Elwood to Blodgett
    • Symerton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Manhattan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Preston Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston Heights
      • Preston Heights is located in Will County
    • Wilmington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Will County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,597 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilmington
      • From Elwood to Wilmington
    • Rockdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Wallingford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wallingford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
      • Wallingford is located in Will County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wallingford
      • From Elwood to Wallingford
    • Joliet
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Ingalls Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ingalls Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingalls Park
      • Ingalls Park is located in Will County
    • Lakewood Shores
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Wilton Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Brisbane
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brisbane. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbane
      • Brisbane is located in Will County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brisbane
      • From Elwood to Brisbane
    • Cherry Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Orland Hills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orland Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orland Hills
      • Orland Hills is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,943 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orland Hills <2>
    • Lemont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Tinley Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tinley Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tinley Park
      • Tinley Park is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55,221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tinley Park <2>
    • Matteson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Matteson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matteson
      • Matteson is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Matteson <2>
    • Orland Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Richton Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Country Club Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Club Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Club Hills
      • Country Club Hills is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,242 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Country Club Hills <2>
    • Palos Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palos Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palos Park
      • Palos Park is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palos Park <2>
    • Olympia Fields
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olympia Fields have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olympia Fields
      • Olympia Fields is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,747 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olympia Fields <2>
    • Park Forest
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Flossmoor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flossmoor
      • Flossmoor is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,018 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flossmoor <2>
    • Oak Forest
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Forest
      • Oak Forest is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,884 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Forest <2>
    • Hazel Crest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Tedens ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tedens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
      • Tedens is located in DuPage County
    • Woodridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodridge
      • Woodridge is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,329 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodridge <2>
    • Darien
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Darien have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
      • Darien is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,531 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Darien <2>
    • Naperville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Eola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eola have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eola
      • Eola is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eola <2>
    • Willowbrook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
      • Willowbrook is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willowbrook <2>
    • Lisle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Westmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Clarendon Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarendon Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon Hills
      • Clarendon Hills is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarendon Hills <2>
    • Downers Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Hinsdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Warrenville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warrenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrenville
      • Warrenville is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warrenville <2>
  • Ford County
    • Cabery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabery
      • Cabery is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cabery <2>
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Channahon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Channahon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channahon
      • Channahon is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Channahon <2>
    • Minooka
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minooka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minooka
      • Minooka is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minooka <2>
    • Diamond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sand Ridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sand Ridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
      • Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sand Ridge
      • From Elwood to Sand Ridge
    • Carbon Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbon Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
      • Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Coal City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coal City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
      • Coal City is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,351 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coal City <2>
    • Centerville ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Grundy County
    • Braceville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Braceville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braceville
      • Braceville is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 755 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Braceville <2>
    • Central City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Grundy County
    • Claypool
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Gaslight Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaslight Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
      • Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
    • Morris
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • East Brooklyn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Brooklyn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brooklyn
      • East Brooklyn is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
  • Iroquois County
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Aurora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Aurora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Aurora
      • North Aurora is located in Kane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
    • Sugar Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Essex
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Bonfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Manteno
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manteno have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteno
      • Manteno is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manteno <2>
    • Bourbonnais
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bourbonnais have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourbonnais
      • Bourbonnais is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bourbonnais <2>
    • Goodrich
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Goodrich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
      • Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Goodrich
      • From Elwood to Goodrich
    • Union Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bradley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,132 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bradley <2>
    • Limestone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Limestone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
      • Limestone is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Reddick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Saint George
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Kankakee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Buckingham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckingham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
      • Buckingham is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 280 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckingham <2>
    • Herscher
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Kendall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Plattville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plattville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
      • Plattville is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Lisbon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lisbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lisbon
      • From Elwood to Lisbon
    • Oswego
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Boulder Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boulder Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
      • Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
    • Yorkville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yorkville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yorkville <2>
    • Bristol
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Montgomery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Newark
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newark have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Newark is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,029 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newark <2>
    • Millbrook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
      • Millbrook is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millbrook <2>
    • Plano
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plano have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Plano is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <2>
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Seneca
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seneca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
      • Seneca is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,217 people
      • Seneca has also been known as:
      • Crotty
      • Seneca village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seneca <2>
    • Stavanger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Millington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Marseilles
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marseilles have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marseilles
      • Marseilles is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,778 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marseilles <2>
    • Sheridan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elwood, with the one closest to Elwood listed first.
    • Cardiff
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Dwight
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Campus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campus
      • Campus is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campus <2>
    • Sunbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sunbury. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbury
      • Sunbury is located in Livingston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sunbury
      • From Elwood to Sunbury

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

Cemeteries Near Elwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elwood.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Elwood had a population of 243 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Elwood had a population of 2,207 people.

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

  • Millsdale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millsdale
    • Millsdale is located in Will County
  • Drummond
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drummond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drummond
    • Drummond is located in Will County
  • Blodgett
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blodgett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blodgett
    • Blodgett is located in Will County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Blodgett
    • From Elwood to Blodgett
  • Symerton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lorenzo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lorenzo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorenzo
    • Lorenzo is located in Will County
  • Wilmington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
    • Wilmington is located in Will County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,597 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wilmington
    • From Elwood to Wilmington
  • Manhattan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Wallingford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wallingford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
    • Wallingford is located in Will County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wallingford
    • From Elwood to Wallingford
  • Joliet
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Channahon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Channahon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channahon
    • Channahon is located in Grundy County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,409 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Channahon <2>
  • Brisbane
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brisbane. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbane
    • Brisbane is located in Will County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Brisbane
    • From Elwood to Brisbane
  • East Joliet
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Joliet have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Joliet
    • East Joliet is located in Will County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Minooka
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minooka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minooka
      • Minooka is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minooka <2>
    • Divine
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Divine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divine
      • Divine is located in Grundy County
    • Diamond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Elwood ...

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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elwood, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elwood.

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 Elwood:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Elwood. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Will County: www.willcountyillinois.com/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Elwood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elwood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4040, Longitude: -88.1117    
<6>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 Elwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 18 Aug 2025