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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 Lee Center (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 Lee Center. 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.

Name Variations for Lee Center ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Lee Center: Lee Ctr. (or less commonly used: Lee Cen., Lee Cent. or Lee Cntr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Lee Center. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Lee Center.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Lee Center is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Bureau, DeKalb, La Salle, Ogle & Whiteside.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Lee Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • Inlet
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Amboy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Franklin Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Eldena
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Sublette
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • West Brooklyn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Nachusa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • The Burg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • The Burg is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Burg
    • Compton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Dixon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Harmon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • La Moille
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Van Orin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Ohio
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Greenoak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
    • Kasbeer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Limerick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • Zearing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Zearing is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zearing
    • Walnut
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Dover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Malden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • Hazelhurst
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
    • South Elkhorn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
    • Elkhorn Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
    • Hitt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hitt is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
    • Milledgeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • Shabbona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Shabbona Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove
    • Malta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Esmond
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Elva
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Elva is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elva
    • Clare
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • De Kalb
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Franks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Franks is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
    • Fairdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • Mendota
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Earlville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Triumph
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Troy Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Waltham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Waltham is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltham
    • Leland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Prairie Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Prairie Center is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
    • Baker
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Baker is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
    • Peru
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Peru is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,612 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peru <1>
    • La Salle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • Carthage
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Carthage is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Flagg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
    • Flagg Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • Chana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Honey Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
    • Watertown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Watertown is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Rochelle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hillcrest
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
    • Woosung
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oregon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Creston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lee Center, with the one closest to Lee Center listed first.
    • Rock Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Sterling
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Penrose
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
    • Deer Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Galt
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Tampico
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Coleta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Lee Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lee Center.

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 Lee Center - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Woodside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Binghampton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Inlet Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Prairie Repose Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Temperance Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Patrick's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mormon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Peterson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Gehant Farm Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Franklin Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (237 more) ...
    • Dewolf Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandy Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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 Lee Center had a population of 245 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Amboy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Eldena
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Franklin Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Sublette
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • West Brooklyn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Walton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Walton is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
  • Ashton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Nachusa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Compton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Flagg
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Flagg is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
  • Grand Detour
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Dixon
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Van Orin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • La Moille
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Harmon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Lee Center ...

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 207 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lee Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Lee Center, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Lee Center.

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 Lee Center:

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