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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 Kerrick (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 Kerrick. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Kerrick is located in McLean 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 McLean County: Champaign, De Witt, Ford, Livingston, Logan, Piatt, Tazewell & Woodford.

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

  • McLean County     (The home county of Kerrick)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Normal
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Hudson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Towanda
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Yuton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Yuton is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuton
    • Bloomington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Carlock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Merna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Brokaw
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Brokaw is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
    • Danvers
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Danvers is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
      • Danvers has also been known as:
      • Danver
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <1>
    • Shirley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Downs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gillum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Gillum is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillum
    • Lexington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Wapella
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Waynesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Watkins
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
    • Birkbeck
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
    • Tabor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Tabor is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Fullerton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
    • Parnell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Parnell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
    • De Witt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • De Witt is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Farmer City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Clinton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Hallsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Hallsville is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsville
    • Midland City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Midland City is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland City
    • Lane
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Dana
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Dana is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dana <1>
    • Rutland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Flanagan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Graymont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairbury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • McDowell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • McDowell is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
    • Pontiac
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pontiac is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,176 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pontiac <1>
    • Avoca ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Avoca is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Atlanta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Lawndale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Beason
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Evans
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Evans is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Lilly
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Lilly is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
    • Minier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Deer Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Tazewell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
    • Mackinaw
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Mackinaw is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackinaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
      • Former name for Mackinaw:
      • Mackinawtown
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mackinaw <1>
    • Walnut
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Walnut is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
    • Mindale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mindale is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mindale
    • Allentown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Allentown is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allentown
    • Fravert ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Fravert is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fravert
    • Armington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sutter ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sutter is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutter
    • Mayfair
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Mayfair is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfair
    • Cooper
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Cooper is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kerrick, with the one closest to Kerrick listed first.
    • Kappa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Kappa is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • El Paso
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Congerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Secor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Panola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Panola is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • Goodfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Eureka
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Woodford is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
    • Roanoke
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Benson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Minonk
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Metamora
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Germantown Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Kerrick ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kerrick.

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

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Kaufman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Hudson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Havens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Ropp Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Evergreen Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • East Lawn Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bishop Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Troyer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • East Twin Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (282 more) ...
    • Park Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jewish Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Price Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

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

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

  • Normal
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Hudson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Yuton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Yuton is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuton
  • Towanda
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Bloomington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Barnes
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Barnes is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
  • Twin Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Twin Grove is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Grove
  • Carlock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Brokaw
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Brokaw is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
  • Merna
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Kappa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Kappa is located in Woodford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
  • Covell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Covell is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covell
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Hendrix
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Hendrix is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
    • Danvers
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Danvers is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
      • Danvers has also been known as:
      • Danver
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <1>
    • Shirley
      (10 miles [16.1 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 Kerrick. See our List of 1890's Communities around Kerrick.

Newspapers Published in Kerrick ...

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 328 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kerrick.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Kerrick, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Kerrick.

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 Kerrick:

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 Kerrick, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Kerrick) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.