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 Florence (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 Florence. 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 southeast 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 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.
Florence is located in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County: Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Winnebago, Green (WI) & Lafayette (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Florence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Florence:
- Stephenson County (The home county of Florence)
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Bolton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bolton is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Freeport
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- German Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Eleroy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pearl City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ridott
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Salem
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Salem is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Cedarville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Yellow Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Yellow Creek is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Creek
- Red Oak
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Red Oak is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Loran
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Loran is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loran
- Dakota
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Shannon
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Zier Cors
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Zier Cors is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zier Cors
- Georgetown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Georgetown is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Lanark
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Elkhorn Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
- Hitt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hitt is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
- Hazelhurst
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
- South Elkhorn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
- Milledgeville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Chadwick
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Carroll
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Polsgrove
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Polsgrove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polsgrove
- Jo Daviess County
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Pleasant Valley
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Jo Daviess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Stockton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Nora
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Warren
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Apple River
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elizabeth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Prairieville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Prairieville is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Dixon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Nelson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Nachusa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ogle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Baileyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Harper
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Harper is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
- Forreston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Adeline
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Adeline is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adeline
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Brookville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Brookville is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
- Haldane
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Haldane is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haldane
- Maryland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Maryland is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland
- Egan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Egan is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
- Leaf River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Buffalo Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
- Polo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Mount Morris
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Whiteside County
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Coleta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Penrose
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Penrose is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
- White Pigeon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- White Pigeon is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Pigeon
- Malvern
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Malvern is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
- Spring Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Valley is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Galt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Sterling
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Rock Falls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Winnebago County
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Seward
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Pecatonica
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alworth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Alworth is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alworth
- Winnebago
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lake Summerset
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Summerset is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Summerset
- Durand
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wempletown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
- Indian Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Shirland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rockford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- New Millford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- New Millford is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
- Clinton County (IA)
- Elk River Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elk River Junction is located in Clinton County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk River Junction
- Jackson County (IA)
- Sabula
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Green County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Twin Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Twin Grove is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Grove
- Cadiz
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cadiz is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadiz
- Browntown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Browntown is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browntown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
- Monroe
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Monroe is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,426 people
- Lafayette County (WI)
- South Wayne
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Wayne is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wayne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
- Rock County (WI)
- Avon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Avon is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Florence, see our County-by-County Page for Florence.
Cemeteries Near Florence ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Florence.
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 Florence - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Florence covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Lane Evangelical United Baptist Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Prairie Dell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cranes Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- County Home Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Ellis Van Brocklin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Shell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Cemetery
- The Shell Cemetery has also been known as:
- Shelly Cemetery
- Oakland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Freeport City Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (286 more) ...
- St. Wendelin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shannon Brethren Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon Brethren Cemetery
- The Shannon Brethren Cemetery has also been known as:
- Brethren Dunkard Cemetery
- Forreston Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
While we didn't find Florence in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Florence.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Florence, with the one closest to Florence listed first.
- Baileyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Bolton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bolton is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- South Freeport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- South Freeport is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Freeport
- Shannon
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Harper
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Harper is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
- Freeport
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Forreston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kittredge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kittredge is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittredge
- German Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Adeline
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Adeline is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adeline
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Eleroy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ridott
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Damascus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Damascus is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Lanark
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brookville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Brookville is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Florence. See our List of 1890's Communities around Florence.
Newspapers Published in Florence ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Florence.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Florence, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Florence.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Florence:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Stephenson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Jo Daviess County
- Lee County
- Ogle County
- Whiteside County
- Winnebago County
- Clinton County
- Jackson County
- Green County
- Lafayette County
- Rock 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> | 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> | 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 Florence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Florence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |