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 Lawrence (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 Lawrence. 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 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.
Lawrence is located in McHenry 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 McHenry County: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, Kenosha (WI) & Walworth (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Lawrence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lawrence:
- McHenry County (The home county of Lawrence)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Harvard
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Big Foot Prairie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Alden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hebron
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Greenwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Greenwood is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- Marengo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Woodstock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wonder Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Wonder Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonder Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,837 people
- Wonder Lake has also been known as:
- Wonder Lake village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wonder Lake <1>
- Union
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Richmond
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Ringwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bull Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bull Valley is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,078 people
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Capron
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Poplar Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Russellville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Russellville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Garden Prairie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Timberlane
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Timberlane is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
- Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
- Caledonia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Belvidere
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Herbert
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Herbert is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
- Irene
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Irene is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
- Cook County
- Barrington Hills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Barrington Hills is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- New Lebanon
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- New Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
- Genoa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Kingston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Charter Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Charter Grove is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Grove
- Kirkland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fairdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Brush Point ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Brush Point is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Point
- Clare
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Hampshire
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Freeman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Freeman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Starks
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Starks is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- Pingree Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Burlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gilberts
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Dundee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- North Plato
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- North Plato is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Plato
- Carpentersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sleepy Hollow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Plato Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- East Dundee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Fox Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Channel Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Channel Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channel Lake
- Ingleside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Volo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Fox Lake Hills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Fox Lake Hills is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Lake Hills
- Lake Catherine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Lake Catherine is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
- Long Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Long Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
- Fox River Valley Gardens
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Port Barrington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Port Barrington is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,481 people
- Port Barrington has also been known as:
- Port Barrington village
- Fort Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Fort Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hill
- Monaville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Monaville is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaville
- Round Lake Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ogle County
- Monroe Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Winnebago County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Argyle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Argyle is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Roscoe
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Loves Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- South Beloit
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Machesney Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cherry Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rockton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Sturbridge Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sturbridge Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge Village
- North Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- North Park is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Park
- Rockford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- New Millford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- New Millford is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
- Jefferson County (WI)
- Palmyra
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Palmyra is located in Jefferson County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
- Kenosha County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Powers Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Powers Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers Lake
- Twin Lakes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,234 people
- Slades Corners
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Slades Corners is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slades Corners
- Fox River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fox River is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River
- Camp Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
- Benet Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Benet Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benet Lake
- Paddock Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Paddock Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,232 people
- Salem Lakes
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Salem Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Lakes
- Former names for Salem Lakes:
- Salem
- Silver Lake
- Lake Shangrila
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lake Shangrila is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shangrila
- Brighton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brighton is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Racine County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Bohners Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bohners Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
- Burlington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
- Browns Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Browns Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
- Honey Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Honey Creek is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
- Rochester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rochester is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,880 people
- Rock County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Clinton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clinton is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,119 people
- Avalon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Avalon is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
- Shopiere
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shopiere is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopiere
- Tiffany
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tiffany is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiffany
- Emerald Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Emerald Grove is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Grove
- Johnstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Johnstown is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Johnstown Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Johnstown Center is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown Center
- Beloit
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Beloit is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36,637 people
- Garden Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Garden Village is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Lima Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lima Center is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima Center
- Janesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Janesville is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,664 people
- Milton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Milton is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,643 people
- Walworth County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Big Foot Prairie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Walworth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Walworth is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
- Sharon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- 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
- Delavan Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Delavan Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan Lake
- Zenda
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Zenda is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
- Williams Bay
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Williams Bay is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,657 people
- Darien
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Darien is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
- Allens Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allens Grove is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Grove
- Lake Como
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como
- Delavan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Delavan is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,240 people
- Como
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
- Waukesha County (WI)
- Eagleville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Eagleville is located in Waukesha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lawrence, see our County-by-County Page for Lawrence.
Cemeteries Near Lawrence ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lawrence.
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 Lawrence - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lawrence covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Chermung Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Chemung - Dunham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Auburn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jerome Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Big Foot Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Burr Oak Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dullam Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Long Prairie Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Prairie Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Long Prairie Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Capron.
- The Long Prairie Cemetery has also been known as:
- Brick Church Cemetery
- Capron Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- East Capron
- Hauges Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105495 <2>
- Chester Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- County Line Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Stone School Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (271 more) ...
- Capron Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Dunham Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Alden Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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 Lawrence had a population of 225 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lawrence, with the one closest to Lawrence listed first.
- Harvard
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Chemung
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chemung is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemung
- Big Foot Prairie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Capron
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Alden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sharon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Hartland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hartland is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Blaine
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Blaine is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Poplar Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hebron
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Williams Bay
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Williams Bay is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,657 people
- Darien
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Darien is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Allens Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allens Grove is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Grove
- Hunter
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hunter is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
- East Delavan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- East Delavan is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Delavan
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lawrence. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lawrence.
Newspapers Published in Lawrence ...
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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lawrence.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lawrence, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lawrence.
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 helpful 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 Lawrence:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to McHenry County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cook County
- DeKalb County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- Ogle County
- Winnebago County
- Jefferson County
- Kenosha County
- Racine County
- Rock County
- Walworth County
- Waukesha 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 Lawrence, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Lawrence) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |