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 Grayslake (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 Grayslake. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Grayslake is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Cook, McHenry, Allegan (MI), Berrien (MI), Van Buren (MI) & Kenosha (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Grayslake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Grayslake:
- Lake County (The home county of Grayslake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Hainesville
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Round Lake Park
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Third Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gages Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Venetian Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Venetian Village is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venetian Village
- Round Lake Beach
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Fremont Center
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fremont Center is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont Center
- Fort Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fort Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hill
- Round Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Grandwood Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Grandwood Park is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandwood Park
- Round Lake Heights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ivanhoe
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Ivanhoe is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
- Long Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Long Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
- Cook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Barrington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Capri Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Capri Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capri Village
- Wheeling
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Inverness
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Palatine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Barrington Hills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Barrington Hills is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
- Arlington Heights
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Plum Grove Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Plum Grove Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove Village
- Prospect Heights
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Winthrop Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Winthrop Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop Village
- Fairfax Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Fairfax Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax Village
- Covenant Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Covenant Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covenant Village
- Northbrook
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Roselle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Itasca
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Medinah
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bartlett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Keeneyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Keeneyville is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeneyville
- Wood Dale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bensenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bloomingdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Addison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Cloverdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Cloverdale is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Carol Stream
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wayne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Glendale Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Carpentersville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- East Dundee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sleepy Hollow
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Dundee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Freeman
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Freeman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Gilberts
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Elgin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pingree Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Starks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Starks is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- Coleman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coleman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Hampshire
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- South Elgin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- South Elgin is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people
- Bowes Bend
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bowes Bend is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowes Bend
- McHenry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Lakemoor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pistakee Highlands
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pistakee Highlands is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pistakee Highlands
- Island Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Island Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,951 people
- Sunnyside
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sunnyside is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Holiday Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Holiday Hills is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 574 people
- Johnsburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Spring Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Barreville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Barreville is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barreville
- Oakwood Hills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oakwood Hills is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,011 people
- McHenry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Prairie Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Prairie Grove is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,920 people
- Cary
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fox River Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kenosha County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Benet Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Benet Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benet Lake
- Lake Shangrila
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lake Shangrila is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shangrila
- Fossland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fossland is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fossland
- Bristol
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bristol is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,145 people
- Camp Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
- Salem Lakes
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Salem Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Lakes
- Former names for Salem Lakes:
- Salem
- Silver Lake
- Woodworth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Woodworth is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Pleasant Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Prairie is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Prairie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,373 people
- Paddock Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Paddock Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,232 people
- Fox River
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fox River is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River
- Twin Lakes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,234 people
- Paris
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Paris is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Powers Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Powers Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers Lake
- Racine County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Bohners Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bohners Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
- Union Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Union Grove is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
- Browns Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Browns Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
- Eagle Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Eagle Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
- Sturtevant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Sturtevant is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturtevant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,637 people
- Burlington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Burlington is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
- Mount Pleasant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,048 people
- Elmwood Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Elmwood Park is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
- Yorkville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Yorkville is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
- Rochester
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Rochester is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,880 people
- Franksville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Franksville is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franksville
- Racine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Racine is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76,237 people
- Waterford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Waterford is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
- Walworth County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Genoa City
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Genoa City is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,981 people
- Pell Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pell Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pell Lake
- Zenda
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Zenda is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
- Lake Geneva
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Geneva is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Geneva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,096 people
- Lyons
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lyons is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
- Voree ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Voree is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voree
- Springfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Springfield is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Lake Como
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como
- Como
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
- Lake Como Beach ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Como Beach is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como Beach
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,743 people
- Spring Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Prairie
- Big Foot Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Grayslake, see our County-by-County Page for Grayslake.
Cemeteries Near Grayslake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Grayslake.
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 Grayslake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Grayslake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Grayslake Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Avon Centre Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Druce Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Catholic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Highland Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ft. Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ivanhoe Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Angolian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Sant Sava Monastery Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Serbian Monastery Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Sand Lake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (285 more) ...
- Lakeside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lake County Poor Farm Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Warren Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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 Grayslake had a population of 375 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Grayslake had a population of 20,584 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Grayslake, with the one closest to Grayslake listed first.
- Hainesville
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Rollins
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rollins is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Fort Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fort Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hill
- Fremont Center
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fremont Center is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont Center
- Ivanhoe
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Ivanhoe is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
- Lake Villa
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lake Villa is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Villa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,525 people
- Rockefeller
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rockefeller is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockefeller
- Libertyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Millburn
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Millburn is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburn
- Gurnee
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Volo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wauconda
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Gilmer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Gilmer is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmer
- Diamond Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Diamond Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Lake
- Loon Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Loon Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loon Lake
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Grayslake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Grayslake.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Grayslake ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Grayslake.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Grayslake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Grayslake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Grayslake.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> of Grayslake.
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 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 Grayslake:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Lake County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cook County
- DuPage County
- Kane County
- McHenry County
- Kenosha County
- Racine County
- Walworth 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 Grayslake, 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- Grayslake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |