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 Farm Ridge (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 Farm Ridge. 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.
Name Variations for Farm Ridge ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Farm Ridge: Farm Rdg. (or less commonly used: Farm Rdge. or Farm Ridg.)
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Farm Ridge is located in La Salle 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 La Salle County: Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, Putnam & Woodford.
Below are the counties that are near Farm Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Farm Ridge:
- La Salle County (The home county of Farm Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Grand Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Vermilionville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Vermilionville is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilionville
- Leonore
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kangley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Kangley is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Hitt
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hitt is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
- Naplate
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Naplate is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naplate
- Population from the 2020 Census: 465 people
- South Ottawa ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Ottawa is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ottawa
- Deer Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Deer Park is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
- Streator
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Tonica
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- North Utica
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- North Utica is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Utica
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,333 people
- Lostant
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lostant is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lostant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
- Lostant has also been known as:
- Lost Ant
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lostant <1>
- Bureau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Spring Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dalzell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ladd
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ottville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ottville is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottville
- Cherry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Seatonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- De Pue
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- De Pue is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Pue
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,665 people
- Hollowayville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hollowayville is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollowayville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Arlington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bureau Junction
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Bureau Junction is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bureau Junction
- Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
- Bureau Junction has also been known as:
- Bureau
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bureau Junction <1>
- Zearing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Zearing is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zearing
- Malden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- DeKalb County
- Somonauk
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Kinsman
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Highland Town ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Highland Town is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
- Verona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wauponsee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wauponsee is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauponsee
- Nettle Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Nettle Creek is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettle Creek
- Mazon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Morris
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Claypool
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Claypool is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Gaslight Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
- Kendall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Newark
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Lee County
- Radley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Radley is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radley
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Munster
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Munster is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
- Coalville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Coalville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
- Vermilion City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Vermilion City is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilion City
- Ancona
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Missal
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Missal is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missal
- Long Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Blackstone
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Budd
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Budd is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Budd
- Cornell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Adams ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Adams is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Sunbury
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sunbury is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbury
- Flanagan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Wenona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Evans ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Evans is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
- Toluca
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Varna
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- La Rose
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Henry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lacon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sparland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Mount Palatine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine
- Standard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- McNabb
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Magnolia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Granville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Mark
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hennepin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Putnam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Minonk
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Woodford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Woodford is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
- Benson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Washburn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Panola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Panola is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Farm Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Farm Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Farm Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Farm Ridge.
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 Farm Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Farm Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lostlands Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lostlands Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Lostlands Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the northwest of Streator.
- The Lostlands Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lost Land Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106674 <3>
- Mackey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Naramoor Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Casimir Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Grand Rapids Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Grand Ridge Mutual & Poundstone Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Vermillionville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lowell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wolf Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (259 more) ...
- River View Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Barnhart Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
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 Farm Ridge had a population of 45 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Farm Ridge, with the one closest to Farm Ridge listed first.
- Wilsman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wilsman is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsman
- Leonore
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Grand Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Vermilionville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Vermilionville is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilionville
- Kangley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Kangley is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Richards
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Richards is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richards
- Lowell
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lowell is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Hitt
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hitt is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
- Otter ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Otter is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter
- Ticona
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ticona is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ticona
- Streator
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- South Ottawa ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Ottawa is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ottawa
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Deer Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Deer Park is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
- Tonica
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lostant
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lostant is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lostant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
- Lostant has also been known as:
- Lost Ant
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lostant <1>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Farm Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Farm Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Farm Ridge ...
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 129 newspapers that have been published in the area around Farm Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Farm Ridge, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Farm Ridge.
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 websites either 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 Farm Ridge:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to La Salle County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bureau County
- DeKalb County
- Grundy County
- Kendall County
- Lee County
- Livingston County
- Marshall County
- Putnam 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Farm Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Farm Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |