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 Ford Heights (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 Ford Heights. 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 Ford Heights ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Ford Heights: Ford Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Ford Heights. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ford Heights.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Ford Heights is located in Cook 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 Cook County: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Lake (IN) & Berrien (MI).
Below are the counties that are near Ford Heights. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ford Heights:
- Cook County (The home county of Ford Heights)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Sauk Village
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Lynwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Glenwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Chicago Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- South Chicago Heights
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- South Chicago Heights is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chicago Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,957 people
- Lansing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Thornton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Park Forest
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- East Hazel Crest
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- East Hazel Crest is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hazel Crest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,479 people
- Homewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Flossmoor
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Olympia Fields
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Tedens ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Tedens is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
- Willowbrook
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Darien
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hinsdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Clarendon Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Westmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Woodridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Brook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Downers Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Utopia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Utopia is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- Kankakee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Grant Park
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Grant Park is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
- Sherburnville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Sherburnville is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherburnville
- Illinoi
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Illinoi is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinoi
- Manteno
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Illiana Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Illiana Heights is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illiana Heights
- Litchfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Litchfield is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
- Momence
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Saint George
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Saint George is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Sun River Terrace
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sun River Terrace is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun River Terrace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
- Bourbonnais
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bradley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hopkins Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hopkins Park is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 608 people
- Hopkins Park has also been known as:
- Hopkins Park village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hopkins Park <1>
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Steger
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Willowbrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Crete
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Goodenow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Goodenow is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodenow
- University Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Monee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Beecher
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Frankfort Square
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Frankfort Square is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
- Frankfort
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mokena
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Peotone
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gilletts ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Gilletts is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
- Jasper County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Forest City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Forest City is located in Jasper County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- DeMotte
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- DeMotte is located in Jasper County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeMotte
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,172 people
- DeMotte has also been known as:
- De Motte
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for DeMotte <1>
- Lake County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Dyer
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
- Munster
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hartsdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
- Hammond
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Schererville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Highland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint John
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Griffith
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- New Elliott
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- New Elliott is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elliott
- Hessville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
- Lincoln Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Lincoln Village is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Village
- Ross
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Ross is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
- Newton County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Sumava Resorts
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Lake Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lake Village is located in Newton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
- Thayer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Thayer is located in Newton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thayer
- Roselawn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Roselawn is located in Newton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roselawn
- Porter County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Wheeler
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wheeler is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Woodland Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Woodland Village is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- Portage
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Willow Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Willow Creek is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
- Ogden Dunes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ogden Dunes is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden Dunes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,083 people
- Porter Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Porter Crossroads is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Crossroads
- South Haven
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- South Haven is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Haven
- Hebron
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Burns Harbor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Babcock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Babcock is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babcock
- Boone Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Boone Grove is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boone Grove
- Dune Acres
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Dune Acres is located in Porter County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dune Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ford Heights, see our County-by-County Page for Ford Heights.
Cemeteries Near Ford Heights ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ford Heights.
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 Ford Heights - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ford Heights covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- St. James Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Assumption Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Bloom Presbyterian Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Evergreen Hill Memory Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Hill Memory Gardens
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Hill Memory Gardens is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Steger.
- The Evergreen Hill Memory Gardens has also been known as:
- Evergreen Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105615 <2>
- Mt. Forest Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Homewood Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- First Reformed of Lansing Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Ridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Washington Memory Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (305 more) ...
- Calvary Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Adams Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Crete Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crete Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Crete Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Crete.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2335374 <2>
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 Ford Heights in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ford Heights.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ford Heights, with the one closest to Ford Heights listed first.
- Glenwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Chicago Heights
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Dyer
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
- Thornton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Maynard
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Maynard is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
- Lansing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Thornton Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Thornton Junction is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton Junction
- Crete
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hartsdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
- Bernice
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bernice is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernice
- Homewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hammond
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Globe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Globe is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
- South Holland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Saint John
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ford Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ford Heights.
Newspapers Published in Ford Heights ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ford Heights.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ford Heights, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ford Heights.
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 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 Ford Heights:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Cook County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- DuPage County
- Kankakee County
- Will County
- Jasper County
- Lake County
- Newton County
- Porter 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 Ford Heights, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ford Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |