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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 Harper (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 Harper. 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.

Harper is located in Ogle County.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ogle County: Carroll, DeKalb, Lee, Stephenson, Whiteside & Winnebago.

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

  • Ogle County     (The home county of Harper)
  • Carroll County
  • Jo Daviess County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Pleasant Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Stockton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
      • Stockton is located in Jo Daviess County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,709 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <2>
    • Nora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
      • Nora is located in Jo Daviess County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nora <2>
    • Warren
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Warren is located in Jo Daviess County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,300 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warren <2>
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Prairieville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
      • Prairieville is located in Lee County
    • Dixon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Nelson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Nelson is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nelson <2>
    • Nachusa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nachusa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nachusa
      • Nachusa is located in Lee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nachusa <2>
    • Franklin Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Grove
      • Franklin Grove is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 919 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin Grove <2>
    • Ashton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Eldena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldena
      • Eldena is located in Lee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldena <2>
    • Harmon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon
      • Harmon is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmon <2>
  • Stephenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Florence
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Stephenson County
    • Bolton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bolton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
      • Bolton is located in Stephenson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bolton
      • From Harper to Bolton
    • German Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Freeport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Stephenson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,447 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <2>
    • Pearl City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridott
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridott
      • Ridott is located in Stephenson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridott <2>
    • Eleroy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Loran
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Salem
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in Stephenson County
    • Yellow Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedarville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Kent
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
      • Kent is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kent <2>
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Penrose
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Coleta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coleta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleta
      • Coleta is located in Whiteside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coleta <2>
    • White Pigeon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Malvern
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Malvern. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Malvern
      • From Harper to Malvern
    • Sterling
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Galt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
      • Galt is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galt <2>
    • Rock Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Spring Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Morrison
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
      • Morrison is located in Whiteside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,950 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morrison <2>
    • Union Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Seward
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seward <2>
    • Pecatonica
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pecatonica have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecatonica
      • Pecatonica is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pecatonica <2>
    • Alworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Winnebago
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Summerset
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Summerset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Summerset
      • Lake Summerset is located in Winnebago County
    • Durand
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wempletown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wempletown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
      • Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wempletown
      • From Harper to Wempletown
    • Indian Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
    • New Millford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Millford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
      • New Millford is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Rockford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Clinton County (IA)
    • Elk River Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk River Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk River Junction
      • Elk River Junction is located in Clinton County (IA)
  • Jackson County (IA)
    • Sabula
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sabula have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabula
      • Sabula is located in Jackson County (IA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabula <2>
  • Green County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harper, with the one closest to Harper listed first.
    • Twin Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Twin Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Grove
      • Twin Grove is located in Green County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Twin Grove
      • From Harper to Twin Grove
    • Cadiz
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cadiz. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadiz
      • Cadiz is located in Green County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cadiz
      • From Harper to Cadiz
    • Browntown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Harper ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harper.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Forreston Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forreston Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forreston Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prairie Dell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Dell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Dell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Oak Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Oak Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Brethren in Christ Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Chambers Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chambers Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chambers Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shannon Brethren Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • North Grove Zion Reformed Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Grove Zion Reformed Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Grove Zion Reformed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lane Evangelical United Baptist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lane Evangelical United Baptist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lane Evangelical United Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Wendelin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Brookville Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Brookville Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brookville Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brookville Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (276 more) ...
    • Haldane Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haldane Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haldane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • West Grove Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Coffman Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coffman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coffman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 in 1895, Harper had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Forreston
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forreston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forreston
    • Forreston is located in Ogle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,338 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forreston <2>
  • Baileyville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Baileyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileyville
    • Baileyville is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baileyville <2>
  • Shannon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Brookville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Haldane
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Kittredge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kittredge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kittredge
    • Kittredge is located in Carroll County
  • Maryland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Adeline
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adeline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adeline
    • Adeline is located in Ogle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
  • Bolton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bolton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
    • Bolton is located in Stephenson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bolton
    • From Harper to Bolton
  • South Freeport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Freeport
    • South Freeport is located in Stephenson County
  • Lanark
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • German Valley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Elkhorn Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Eagle Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point
      • Eagle Point is located in Ogle County
    • Freeport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Stephenson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,447 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Harper ...

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 111 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harper.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Harper, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Harper.

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 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 Harper:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Harper. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Ogle County: www.oglecounty.org/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Harper, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Harper) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Harper. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1415, Longitude: -89.6475    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 13 Jul 2025