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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 Leesburg (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 Leesburg. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Leesburg is located in Fulton 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 Fulton County: Knox, Mason, McDonough, Peoria, Schuyler, Tazewell & Warren.

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

  • Fulton County     (The home county of Leesburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Summum
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Summum is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
    • Astoria
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Marbletown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
    • Vermont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ipava
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Table Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sepo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Sepo is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sepo
    • Lewistown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Smithfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Marietta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Cuba
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Cuba is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Bryant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Ripley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ripley is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
    • Cooperstown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Cooperstown is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooperstown
    • Mount Sterling
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gilbirds
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Gilbirds is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbirds
    • Hersman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hersman is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersman
    • Versailles
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Oak Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Oak Grove is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Chandlerville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Beardstown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Bluff Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jules
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jules is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jules
    • Virginia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hagener
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Hagener is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagener
    • Sylvan ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sylvan is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan
    • Burlingame
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Burlingame is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Newmansville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Newmansville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmansville
    • Philadelphia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Philadelphia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
    • Arenzville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Snicarte
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Snicarte is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
    • Bath
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Havana
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Long Branch
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • White City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • White City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Kilbourne
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Poplar City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Buzzville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Topeka
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Goofy Ridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Easton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Forest City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Adair
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Industry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Doddsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Doddsville is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doddsville
    • New Philadelphia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Bardolph
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bushnell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • East Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • East Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
    • Macomb
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Macomb is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomb
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Macomb <1>
    • University Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • University Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
    • Lamone Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
    • Prairie City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Prairie City is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
    • Colchester
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Menard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Oakford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Tallula
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Petersburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Literberry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Arcadia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Arcadia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Concord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Prentice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Prentice is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentice
  • Schuyler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Leesburg, with the one closest to Leesburg listed first.
    • Bader
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bader is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
    • Bluff City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Browning
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Frederick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Rushville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Littleton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Wayland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Wayland is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
    • Camden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Huntsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Tazewell County
    • Radville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville

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

Cemeteries Near Leesburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Leesburg.

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

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

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

  • Woodland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Summum Sixteen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Summum Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Union Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Astoria Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hart Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • South Fulton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Bluff City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Old Order Baptist Brethren Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Salisbury Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (475 more) ...
    • Salem Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jones Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Sheldon's Grove Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Leesburg had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Astoria
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Summum
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Summum is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summum
  • Bader
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bader is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bader
  • Sheldons Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Sheldons Grove is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldons Grove
  • Bluff City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
  • Marbletown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Marbletown is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbletown
  • Vermont
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ipava
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Ray
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Ray is located in Schuyler County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
  • Browning
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Snicarte
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Snicarte is located in Mason County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snicarte
  • Table Grove
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bernadotte ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Bernadotte is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernadotte
    • Bath
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Matanzas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Matanzas is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matanzas

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

Newspapers Published in Leesburg ...

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 133 newspapers that have been published in the area around Leesburg.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Leesburg, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Leesburg.

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 Leesburg:

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 Leesburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Leesburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.