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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 Harvard Hills (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 Harvard Hills. 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 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.

Harvard Hills is located in Tazewell 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 Tazewell County: Fulton, Logan, Mason, McLean, Peoria & Woodford.

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

  • Tazewell County     (The home county of Harvard Hills)
  • Fulton County
  • Knox County
    • Yates City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yates City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates City
      • Yates City is located in Knox County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yates City <2>
  • La Salle County
    • Rutland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rutland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
      • Rutland is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rutland <2>
  • Logan County
    • Emden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emden have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emden
      • Emden is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emden <2>
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills listed first.
    • Hopewell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopewell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
      • Hopewell is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Lacon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lacon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
      • Lacon is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,713 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacon <2>
    • Sparland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sparland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparland
      • Sparland is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparland <2>
    • La Rose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Rose have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Rose
      • La Rose is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Rose <2>
    • Camp Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Varna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Toluca
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Henry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
      • Henry is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,230 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henry <2>
    • Evans ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills listed first.
    • Manito
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manito have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manito
      • Manito is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manito <2>
    • San Jose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Jose have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Jose
      • San Jose is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Jose <2>
    • Union
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Union. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Union
      • From Harvard Hills to Union
    • Forest City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills listed first.
    • Carlock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlock
      • Carlock is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carlock <2>
    • Danvers
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Danvers is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
      • Danvers has also been known as:
      • Danver
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <2>
    • Stanford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanford
      • Stanford is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 599 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanford <2>
    • Yuton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hudson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hudson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
      • Hudson is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,810 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <2>
    • Normal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills listed first.
    • Peoria Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • North Peoria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Peoria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
      • North Peoria is located in Peoria County
    • Keller
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keller. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
      • Keller is located in Peoria County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keller
      • From Harvard Hills to Keller
    • Peoria
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Mossville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mossville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossville
      • Mossville is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mossville <2>
    • West Peoria
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Peoria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Peoria
      • West Peoria is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Peoria <2>
    • Pottstown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rome
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Bellevue
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Orange Prairie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Bartonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Maxwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maxwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Maxwell
      • From Harvard Hills to Maxwell
  • Putnam County
    • Magnolia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Magnolia is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Magnolia <2>
  • Stark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills listed first.
    • Speer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Speer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speer
      • Speer is located in Stark County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Speer <2>
    • Wyoming
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Castleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castleton
      • Castleton is located in Stark County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castleton <2>
    • West Jersey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills listed first.
    • Germantown Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germantown Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown Hills
      • Germantown Hills is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,390 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Germantown Hills <2>
    • Bay View Gardens
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
      • Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
    • Spring Bay
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Metamora
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metamora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metamora
      • Metamora is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,648 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Metamora <2>
    • Eureka
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,232 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eureka <2>
    • Goodfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodfield
      • Goodfield is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 986 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goodfield <2>
    • Roanoke
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roanoke have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanoke
      • Roanoke is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,966 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roanoke <2>
    • Washburn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washburn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
      • Washburn is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,064 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Washburn <2>
    • Congerville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Congerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congerville
      • Congerville is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 494 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Congerville <2>
    • Secor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Secor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secor
      • Secor is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Secor <2>
    • Benson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • El Paso
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Paso have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Paso
      • El Paso is located in Woodford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,700 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Paso <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Harvard Hills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harvard Hills.

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 Harvard Hills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Harvard Hills, with the one closest to Harvard Hills 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.<5>

While we didn't find Harvard Hills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Harvard Hills.

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

  • Farmdale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farmdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
    • Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Farmdale
    • From Harvard Hills to Farmdale
  • Washington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • North Peoria
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Peoria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
    • North Peoria is located in Peoria County
  • Peoria
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Spring Bay
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Cooper
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Keller
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keller. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
    • Keller is located in Peoria County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Keller
    • From Harvard Hills to Keller
  • Crandall ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crandall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crandall
    • Crandall is located in Tazewell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Crandall
    • From Harvard Hills to Crandall
  • Metamora
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metamora have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metamora
    • Metamora is located in Woodford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,648 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Metamora <2>
  • Mossville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mossville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossville
    • Mossville is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mossville <2>
  • Wesley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wesley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
    • Wesley is located in Tazewell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wesley
    • From Harvard Hills to Wesley
  • Morton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Cruger
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cruger have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruger
      • Cruger is located in Woodford County
    • Kickapoo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kickapoo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickapoo
      • Kickapoo is located in Peoria County
    • Groveland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Harvard Hills ...

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 305 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harvard Hills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Harvard Hills, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Harvard Hills.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Harvard Hills:

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

The official website for Tazewell County: www.tazewell.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Harvard Hills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Harvard Hills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Harvard Hills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7285, Longitude: -89.4816    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025