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 Flanagan (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 Flanagan. 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 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 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.
Flanagan is located in Livingston 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 Livingston County: Ford, Grundy, Kankakee, La Salle, McLean & Woodford.
Below are the counties that are near Flanagan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Flanagan:
- Livingston County (The home county of Flanagan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Graymont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Long Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cornell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pontiac
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ancona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- McDowell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- McDowell is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
- Coalville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Coalville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
- Cayuga
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cayuga is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Munster
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Munster is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
- Vermilion City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Vermilion City is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilion City
- Missal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Missal is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missal
- Blackstone
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Kinsman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Town ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Town is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
- Verona
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- La Salle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Dana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Leeds
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leeds is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
- Rutland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Streator
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Kangley
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Kangley is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Kernan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Kernan is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kernan
- Lostant
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- 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>
- Leonore
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Ransom
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Priscilla ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Priscilla is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priscilla
- Grand Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Tonica
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Wenona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Evans ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Evans is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
- Toluca
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- La Rose
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Varna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Henry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lacon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Gridley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meadows
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meadows is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Chenoa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Weston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Weston is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Lexington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hudson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Towanda
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Cooksville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Merna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Colfax
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Carlock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Normal
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Magnolia
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Palatine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine
- McNabb
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Tazewell County
- Deer Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Minonk
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Woodford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Woodford is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
- Panola
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Panola is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
- El Paso
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Benson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Kappa
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kappa is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- Secor
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Roanoke
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Washburn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Eureka
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Congerville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Goodfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Flanagan, see our County-by-County Page for Flanagan.
Cemeteries Near Flanagan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Flanagan.
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 Flanagan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Flanagan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Center Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- St. Petri Evangelical Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bauman Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Waldo Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Walden Farm Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Pike Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Earp Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Nigh Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Baughman Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (244 more) ...
- Rook's Creek Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Corbins Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gridley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Flanagan had a population of 384 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Flanagan had a population of 1,057 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Flanagan, with the one closest to Flanagan listed first.
- Graymont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Long Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Rooks Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Rooks Creek is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rooks Creek
- Gridley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meadows
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meadows is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Minonk
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ocoya
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ocoya is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocoya
- Rowe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rowe is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Cornell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chenoa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pontiac
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Leeds
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leeds is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
- Ancona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Rutland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Flanagan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Flanagan.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Flanagan ...
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 113 newspapers that have been published in the area around Flanagan.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Flanagan. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Flanagan and those printed in the larger area surrounding Flanagan.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Flanagan.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Flanagan:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Livingston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Grundy County
- La Salle County
- Marshall County
- McLean County
- Putnam County
- Tazewell 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> | 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 Flanagan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Flanagan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |