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 Irwin (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 Irwin. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Irwin is located in Kankakee 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 Kankakee County: Ford, Grundy, Iroquois, Livingston, Will, Lake (IN) & Newton (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Irwin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Irwin:
- Kankakee County (The home county of Irwin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Otto
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Otto is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
- Limestone
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Limestone is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
- Goodrich
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
- Herscher
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Sammons Point
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sammons Point is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sammons Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
- Sammons Point has also been known as:
- Sammons Point village
- Kankakee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bonfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Aroma Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Union Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Buckingham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bourbonnais
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bradley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Essex
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Cabery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Kempton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Piper City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Clarke City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Clarke City is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarke City
- East Brooklyn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- East Brooklyn is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brooklyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- South Wilmington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- South Wilmington is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
- Braceville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Gardner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Central City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Central City is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Centerville ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Centerville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Coal City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Diamond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Carbon Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Mazon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Highland Town ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Highland Town is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
- Channahon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Iroquois County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Chebanse
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ashkum
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- L'Erable
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- L'Erable is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for L'Erable
- Papineau
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Danforth
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Martinton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Beaverville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Gilman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Crescent City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- La Hogue
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
- Donovan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Onarga
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Cardiff
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Cardiff is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardiff
- Campus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Cullom
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Emington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Griswold
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Griswold is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
- Charlotte
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Charlotte is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
- Dwight
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Saunemin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Chatsworth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Eylar
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Eylar is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
- Wing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wing is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
- Odell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sunbury
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sunbury is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbury
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Custer Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Custer Park is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer Park
- Lakewood Shores
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lakewood Shores is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Shores
- Godley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Godley is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
- Symerton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Symerton is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Symerton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
- Braidwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wilmington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wilmington is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,597 people
- Wilton Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Peotone
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wallingford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wallingford is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
- Elwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Manhattan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Blodgett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Blodgett is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blodgett
- Beecher
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lake County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Illinoi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Illinoi is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinoi
- Schneider
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Schneider is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schneider
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Newton County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Lake Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lake Village is located in Newton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
- Morocco
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sumava Resorts
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Irwin, see our County-by-County Page for Irwin.
Cemeteries Near Irwin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Irwin.
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 Irwin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Irwin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- St. James Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pilot Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
- The Trinity Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Trinity Cemetery
- St. Mary & Joseph Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Grand Prairie Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Prairie Cemetery
- The Grand Prairie Cemetery has also been known as:
- Grand Prairie EUB Cemetery
- Zion Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- St. Peter & Paul Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barnett Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Old State Hospital Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Bonfield Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Limestone Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone Cemetery
- The Limestone Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hawkins Cemetery
- Continue List (195 more) ...
- Grand Prairie Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Milk's Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Irwin had a population of 52 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Irwin had a population of 71 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Irwin, with the one closest to Irwin listed first.
- Otto
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Otto is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
- Chebanse
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Greenwich
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwich is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
- Goodrich
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
- Herscher
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kankakee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bonfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Union Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Buckingham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Cabery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Ashkum
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- L'Erable
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- L'Erable is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for L'Erable
- Saint Anne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Exline
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Exline is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exline
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Irwin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Irwin.
Newspapers Published in Irwin ...
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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Irwin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Irwin, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Irwin.
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 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 Irwin:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Kankakee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ford County
- Grundy County
- Iroquois County
- Livingston County
- Will County
- Lake County
- Newton 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> | 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 Irwin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Irwin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |