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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 Franklin Grove (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 Franklin Grove. 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 Franklin Grove ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Franklin Grove: Franklin Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Franklin Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Franklin Grove.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Franklin Grove is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Bureau, DeKalb, La Salle, Ogle & Whiteside.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Franklin Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Ashton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Nachusa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lee Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Inlet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Eldena
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Amboy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Dixon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • West Brooklyn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Steward
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Sublette
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • The Burg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • The Burg is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Burg
    • Compton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Boone County
    • Irene
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Irene is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Van Orin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • La Moille
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Ohio
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Kasbeer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Walnut
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Greenoak
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
    • Limerick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • Zearing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Zearing is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zearing
    • Cherry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Dover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Malden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Hazelhurst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
    • South Elkhorn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
    • Hitt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hitt is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
    • Elkhorn Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
    • Milledgeville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Shabbona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Esmond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Malta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Shabbona Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove
    • Fairdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Elva
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Elva is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elva
    • Waterman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Clare
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • De Kalb
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Kirkland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Coltonville ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Coltonville is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltonville
    • Brush Point ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Brush Point is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Point
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Mendota
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Earlville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Triumph
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Troy Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Leland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Carthage
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Carthage is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Watertown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Watertown is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Flagg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
    • Chana
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Honey Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
    • Flagg Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • Oregon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Rochelle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Woosung
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Hillcrest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
    • Mount Morris
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
  • Stephenson County
    • German Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • Penrose
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
    • Rock Falls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Sterling
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Galt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Deer Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Coleta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Tampico
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Malvern
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
    • White Pigeon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • White Pigeon is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Pigeon
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Franklin Grove, with the one closest to Franklin Grove listed first.
    • New Millford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • New Millford is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Alworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Alworth is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alworth
    • Seward
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Indian Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
    • North Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • North Park is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Park
    • Winnebago
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Franklin Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Franklin Grove.

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 Franklin Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Franklin Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bradford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Emmert Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Ashton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ashton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Ashton.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #488154 <2>
  • Girton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Dewolf Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Temperance Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Gehant Farm Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Washington Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Burket Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (222 more) ...
    • Lighthouse Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Woodside Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Reynolds Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)

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 Franklin Grove had a population of 736 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Franklin Grove had a population of 919 people.

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

  • Ashton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Nachusa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lee Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Grand Detour
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Eldena
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Amboy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Flagg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Flagg is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
  • Daysville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Daysville is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daysville
  • Dixon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Chana
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Honey Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
  • Walton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Walton is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Flagg Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • West Brooklyn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Oregon
      (12 miles [19.3 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 Franklin Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Franklin Grove.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Franklin Grove ...

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 198 newspapers that have been published in the area around Franklin Grove.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Franklin Grove. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Franklin Grove and those printed in the larger area surrounding Franklin Grove.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4> of Franklin Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Franklin Grove:

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 Franklin Grove, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Franklin Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.