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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 Empire (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 Empire. 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 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.

Empire is located in McLean 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 McLean County: Champaign, De Witt, Ford, Livingston, Logan, Piatt, Tazewell & Woodford.

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

  • McLean County     (The home county of Empire)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Le Roy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kumler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Kumler is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
    • Glen Avon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Glen Avon is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
    • Laurette
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Laurette is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
    • Bellflower
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Ellsworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Arrowsmith
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Downs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Saybrook
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Gillum
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Gillum is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillum
    • Brokaw
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Brokaw is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
    • Heyworth
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Lotus
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Lotus is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
    • Foosland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Fisher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
    • Mahomet
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake of the Woods
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
    • Seymour
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dewey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Bondville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Staley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Staley is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
    • Prospect
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
    • Thomasboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Champaign
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Watkins
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
    • Parnell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Parnell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
    • Farmer City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fullerton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
    • De Witt
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • De Witt is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Weldon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Birkbeck
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
    • Lane
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wapella
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Clinton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hallsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Hallsville is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
    • Waynesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Proctor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Gibson City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Garber
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Elliott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sibley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Melvin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Livingston County
    • Strawn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Beason
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Atlanta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Chestnut
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lawndale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Argenta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Maroa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Oreana
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Forsyth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Piatt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Empire, with the one closest to Empire listed first.
    • Mansfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • De Land
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • White Heath
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Cisco
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Monticello
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bement
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Milmine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Cerro Gordo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Woodford County
    • Kappa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Kappa is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people

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

Cemeteries Near Empire ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Empire.

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 Empire - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Howard Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Campground Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Farmer City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Gilmore Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Greenleaf Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Josephs Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Walden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Walters Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • McCord Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (222 more) ...
    • Dawson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Barnes Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Rutledge Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Empire had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Sabina
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sabina is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabina
  • Le Roy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Farmer City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Weedman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Weedman is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weedman
  • Fullerton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
  • Kumler
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Kumler is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
  • Solomon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Solomon is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solomon
  • Harris
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Harris is located in Piatt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
  • Laurette
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Laurette is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
  • De Witt
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • De Witt is located in De Witt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
  • Ellsworth
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Padua
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Padua is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padua
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Arrowsmith
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Blue Ridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Blue Ridge is located in Piatt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
    • Holder
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Holder is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holder

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

Newspapers Published in Empire ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Empire.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Empire, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Empire.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Empire:

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>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 from Point A (ie- Empire) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Empire, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.