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 Ferndale (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 Ferndale. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Ferndale is located in McHenry 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 McHenry County: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, Kenosha (WI) & Walworth (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Ferndale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ferndale:
- McHenry County (The home county of Ferndale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Holiday Hills
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Holiday Hills is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 574 people
- Island Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Island Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,951 people
- Barreville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Barreville is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barreville
- Prairie Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Prairie Grove is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,920 people
- Lakemoor
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- McHenry
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood Hills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Oakwood Hills is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,011 people
- Terra Cotta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Terra Cotta is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terra Cotta
- Johnsburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- McCullom Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- McCullom Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullom Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
- Bull Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bull Valley is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,078 people
- Cary
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Garden Prairie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Capron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Russellville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Russellville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Herbert
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Herbert is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
- Poplar Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Belvidere
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Cook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Barrington Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Barrington Hills is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
- Barrington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Inverness
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- South Barrington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- South Barrington is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,976 people
- Capri Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Capri Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capri Village
- Palatine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hoffman Estates
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Plum Grove Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Plum Grove Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove Village
- Fairfax Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfax Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax Village
- Winthrop Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Winthrop Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop Village
- Arlington Heights
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rolling Meadows
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- New Lebanon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- New Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
- Charter Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Charter Grove is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Grove
- Genoa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kingston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Bartlett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Keeneyville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Keeneyville is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeneyville
- Roselle
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Wayne
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Medinah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomingdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cloverdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cloverdale is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Itasca
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wood Dale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Carol Stream
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ingalton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ingalton is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingalton
- Addison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Carpentersville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- East Dundee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- West Dundee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Freeman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Freeman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Gilberts
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sleepy Hollow
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Pingree Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elgin
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Hampshire
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Starks
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Starks is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- North Plato
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- North Plato is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Plato
- Plato Center
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Volo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Fox River Valley Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Port Barrington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Port Barrington is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,481 people
- Port Barrington has also been known as:
- Port Barrington village
- Wauconda
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Fort Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hill
- Tower Lakes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tower Lakes is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
- Ingleside
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Long Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Long Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
- Round Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Barrington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Barrington is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,840 people
- Fremont Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fremont Center is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont Center
- North Barrington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- North Barrington is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,938 people
- Kenosha County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Twin Lakes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,234 people
- Benet Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Benet Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benet Lake
- Camp Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
- Lake Shangrila
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Shangrila is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shangrila
- Fox River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Fox River is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River
- Powers Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Powers Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers Lake
- Salem Lakes
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Salem Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Lakes
- Former names for Salem Lakes:
- Salem
- Silver Lake
- Paddock Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Paddock Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,232 people
- Slades Corners
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Slades Corners is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slades Corners
- Fossland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fossland is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fossland
- Bristol
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bristol is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,145 people
- Woodworth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Woodworth is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Racine County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Bohners Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bohners Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
- Browns Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Browns Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
- Burlington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Burlington is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
- Eagle Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Eagle Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
- Union Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Union Grove is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
- Rochester
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rochester is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,880 people
- Walworth County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Genoa City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Genoa City is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,981 people
- Pell Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Pell Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pell Lake
- Zenda
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Zenda is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
- Big Foot Prairie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Lake Geneva
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Geneva is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Geneva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,096 people
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,743 people
- Lake Como
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como
- Lyons
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lyons is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
- Como
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
- Lake Como Beach ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Como Beach is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como Beach
- Walworth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Walworth is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
- Williams Bay
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Williams Bay is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,657 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ferndale, see our County-by-County Page for Ferndale.
Cemeteries Near Ferndale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ferndale.
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 Ferndale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ferndale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- St. Patrick Countryside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- McMillan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Fisher Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- St. Patrick Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Peters Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Volo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bluff City Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Holcombville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (317 more) ...
- Windridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Grant Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Crystal Lake Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lake Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Crystal Lake Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the southeast of Ridgefield.
- The Crystal Lake Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Crystal Lake Union Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105324 <3>
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>
While we didn't find Ferndale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ferndale.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ferndale, with the one closest to Ferndale listed first.
- Barreville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Barreville is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barreville
- Terra Cotta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Terra Cotta is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terra Cotta
- McHenry
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Volo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Johnsburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Wauconda
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgefield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ridgefield is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield
- Crystal Lake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ringwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Fort Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hill
- Fremont Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fremont Center is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont Center
- Algonquin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Hainesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fox Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Spring Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ferndale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ferndale.
Newspapers Published in Ferndale ...
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 116 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ferndale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ferndale, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ferndale.
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 Ferndale:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to McHenry County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cook County
- DeKalb County
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- Kenosha County
- Racine County
- Walworth 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ferndale) 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 Ferndale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |