RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Mason County >> Forest City >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Forest City (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 Forest City. 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.

Forest City is located in Mason 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 Mason County: Cass, Fulton, Logan, Menard, Schuyler & Tazewell.

Below are the counties that are near Forest City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Forest City:

  • Mason County     (The home county of Forest City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Union
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Manito
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Topeka
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Goofy Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Buzzville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Easton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Teheran
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
    • Poplar City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • San Jose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Natrona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Natrona is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
    • Mason City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Havana
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Newmansville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Chandlerville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Liverpool
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Banner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Breeds
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
    • Dunfermline
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint David
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Sepo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Canton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lewistown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Brereton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Brereton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
    • Cuba
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Norris
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Knox County
    • Yates City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Emden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • New Holland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Hartsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Middletown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Evans
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Evans is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
    • Bell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • Broadwell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Broadwell is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadwell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Lincoln
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lawndale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Elkhart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Oakford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Greenview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Petersburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Croft
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Croft is located in Menard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
    • Athens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Tallula
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Glasford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Kingston Mines
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Mapleton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Bartonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hanna City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Trivoli
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Bellevue
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Maxwell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Norwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Norwood is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
    • West Peoria
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Pottstown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Pottstown is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
    • Peoria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Schuyler County
    • Bluff City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.
    • Radville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville
    • Parkland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Parkland is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
    • Green Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Winkel ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Winkel is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winkel
    • Talbott
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Talbott is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbott
    • South Pekin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • South Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
    • Stoehrs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoehrs is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoehrs
    • Hawley ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Hawley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
    • Midway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Midway is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Crescent
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Crescent is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Powerton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Powerton is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powerton
    • Delavan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Forest City, see our County-by-County Page for Forest City.

Cemeteries Near Forest City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest City.

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 Forest City - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Forest City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.

  • Bishop Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Coon Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Meadow Lawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak GroveCemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Fredrick's Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Albright Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Langston Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Quiver Presbyterian Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Heater Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Springlake Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (341 more) ...
    • Breedlove Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breedlove Cemetery
      • The Breedlove Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Nannen Cemetery
    • Rakestraw Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Leveldale Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Forest City had a population of 182 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Forest City had a population of 222 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Forest City, with the one closest to Forest City listed first.

  • Union
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Union is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
  • Bishop
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Bishop is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
  • Manito
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Topeka
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Easton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Liverpool
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Poplar City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Teheran
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Teheran is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
  • Banner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Green Valley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Maples Mill
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Maples Mill is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples Mill
  • Natrona
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Natrona is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • San Jose
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Monterey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Monterey is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
    • Stoehrs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoehrs is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoehrs

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Forest City. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forest City.

Newspapers Published in Forest City ...

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 123 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest City.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest City, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest City.

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 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 Forest City:

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 Forest City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Forest City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.