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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 Gilchrist (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 Gilchrist. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Gilchrist is located in Fulton 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 Fulton County: Knox, Mason, McDonough, Peoria, Schuyler, Tazewell & Warren.

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

  • Fulton County     (The home county of Gilchrist)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Norris
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Brereton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Brereton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
    • Farmington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Canton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Fairview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Breeds
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
    • Bybee
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Bybee is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
    • Fiatt
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunfermline
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Saint David
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Banner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bryant
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • London Mills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Yates City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Maquon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • De Long
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • De Long is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Long
    • Dahinda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Williamsfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Saint Augustine
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Appleton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Appleton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
    • Abingdon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Knox
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Knox is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
    • Knoxville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Galesburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • East Galesburg is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galesburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
    • Victoria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Goofy Ridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Buzzville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Manito
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Forest City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Union
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Topeka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Havana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Poplar City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Long Branch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • Easton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Prairie City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Prairie City is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
    • New Philadelphia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Bushnell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Adair
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bardolph
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Trivoli
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Elmwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hanna City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Glasford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Brimfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kingston Mines
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Edwards
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mapleton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Maxwell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Norwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Norwood is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
    • Bartonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Bellevue
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Laura
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Stark County
    • West Jersey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • West Jersey is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Radville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville
    • Talbott
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Talbott is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbott
    • Parkland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Parkland is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
    • Crescent
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Powerton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Powerton is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powerton
    • Stoehrs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Stoehrs is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoehrs
    • Pekin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pekin <1>
    • Midway
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Midway is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • North Pekin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • North Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,530 people
      • Former name for North Pekin:
      • Radio City
    • Schaeferville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Schaeferville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schaeferville
    • Wesley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Wesley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
    • Hawley ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Hawley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
    • South Pekin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • South Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Surrey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Surrey is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
    • Berwick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Cameron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Youngstown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Youngstown is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gilchrist, with the one closest to Gilchrist listed first.
    • Bay View Gardens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
    • Spring Bay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people

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

Cemeteries Near Gilchrist ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gilchrist.

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

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

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

  • Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Hanson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Norris Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Coal Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Concord Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Providence Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Shumaker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Wolf Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Brunswick Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (329 more) ...
    • Parker Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Locust Lane Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • St. Marys 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 Gilchrist in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gilchrist.

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

  • Norris
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Farmington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Cramer
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cramer is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cramer
  • Canton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Fairview
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Rawalts
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Rawalts is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawalts
  • Rapatee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Rapatee is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapatee
  • Bybee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bybee is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
  • Breeds
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Breeds is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
  • Trivoli
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Fiatt
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Douglas
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Douglas is located in Knox County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Civer ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Civer is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Civer
    • Monterey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Monterey is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
    • Elmwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Gilchrist ...

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 167 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gilchrist.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gilchrist, 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 Gilchrist.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Gilchrist:

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 Gilchrist, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Gilchrist) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.