RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Kane County >> Gilberts >> 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 Gilberts (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 Gilberts. 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 hospitals 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.

Gilberts is located in Kane 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 Kane County: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kendall, McHenry & Will.

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

  • Kane County     (The home county of Gilberts)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilberts, with the one closest to Gilberts listed first.
    • West Dundee
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Sleepy Hollow
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Carpentersville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Pingree Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • East Dundee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Elgin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Starks
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • North Plato
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Plato Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bowes Bend
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hampshire
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • South Elgin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • South Elgin is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people
  • Boone County
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilberts, with the one closest to Gilberts listed first.
    • Barrington Hills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Barrington Hills is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
    • South Barrington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • South Barrington is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Barrington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,976 people
    • Streamwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Barrington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Hoffman Estates
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Inverness
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Hanover Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Schaumburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Fairfax Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Fairfax Village is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax Village
    • Palatine
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Plum Grove Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Plum Grove Village is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove Village
    • Winthrop Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Winthrop Village is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop Village
    • Capri Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Capri Village is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capri Village
  • DeKalb County
  • DuPage County
  • Kendall County
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilberts, with the one closest to Gilberts listed first.
    • Fox River Valley Gardens
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Barrington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Barrington is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Barrington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,840 people
    • Port Barrington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Port Barrington is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Barrington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,481 people
      • Port Barrington has also been known as:
      • Port Barrington village
    • North Barrington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • North Barrington is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Barrington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,938 people
    • Tower Lakes
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Tower Lakes is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tower Lakes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
    • Deer Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Lake Zurich
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wauconda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kildeer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Forest Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hawthorn Woods
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gilmer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Volo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • McHenry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilberts, with the one closest to Gilberts listed first.
    • Algonquin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Huntley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake-in-the-Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Crystal Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lakewood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Trout Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Trout Valley is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
    • Cary
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Cary is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,929 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cary <1>
    • Fox River Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Oakwood Hills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oakwood Hills is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,011 people
    • Barreville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Prairie Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Prairie Grove is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,920 people
    • Terra Cotta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Will County
    • Winston Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Winston Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
  • Kenosha County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilberts, with the one closest to Gilberts listed first.
    • Twin Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Benet Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Walworth County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilberts, with the one closest to Gilberts listed first.
    • Genoa City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Genoa City is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,981 people
    • Zenda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Big Foot Prairie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pell Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Pell Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pell Lake

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

Cemeteries Near Gilberts ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gilberts.

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 Gilberts - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gilberts had a population of 325 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Gilberts had a population of 8,071 people.

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

  • Freeman
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Pingree Grove
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • McQueen
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • McQueen is located in Kane County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McQueen
  • Almora
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Almora is located in Kane County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almora
  • Carpentersville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Udina
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Udina is located in Kane County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Udina
  • Elgin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Algonquin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Huntley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • North Plato
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Plato Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Youngsdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Youngsdale is located in Kane County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngsdale
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Coyne
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Coyne is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyne
    • Hampshire
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • South Elgin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • South Elgin is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people

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

Newspapers Published in Gilberts ...

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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gilberts.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gilberts, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gilberts.

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 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 Gilberts:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gilberts) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Gilberts, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.