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 Little Rock (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 Little Rock. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Little Rock is located in Kendall 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 Kendall County: DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, La Salle & Will.
Below are the counties that are near Little Rock. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Little Rock:
- Kendall County (The home county of Little Rock)
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Plano
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bristol
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Millbrook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Yorkville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Montgomery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Oswego
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Boulder Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
- Newark
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Plattville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Plattville is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
- Lisbon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Lisbon is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Cook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Lemont
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hanover Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Streamwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Hinckley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sandwich
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Franks
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Franks is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
- Somonauk
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Waterman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cortland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Elva
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Elva is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elva
- Shabbona Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove
- Shabbona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- De Kalb
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sycamore
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sycamore is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,317 people
- Coltonville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Coltonville is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltonville
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Eola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- West Chicago
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Chicago is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chicago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,593 people
- Warrenville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Naperville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ingalton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Ingalton is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingalton
- Wayne
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Winfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lisle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bartlett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Carol Stream
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wheaton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Woodridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Nettle Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Nettle Creek is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettle Creek
- Minooka
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
- Morris
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Channahon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Claypool
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Claypool is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Gaslight Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
- Wauponsee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wauponsee is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauponsee
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Big Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sugar Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kaneville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Aurora
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Maple Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Elburn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- North Aurora
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- North Aurora is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Aurora
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
- Mooseheart
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lily Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Lily Lake is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
- Virgil
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Batavia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Campton Hills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Campton Hills is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campton Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,063 people
- Campton Hills has also been known as:
- Campton Hills village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campton Hills <1>
- La Salle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Millington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Leland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Sheridan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Baker
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Baker is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Serena
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Blakes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Blakes is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
- Earlville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wedron
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stavanger
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Stavanger is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stavanger
- Dayton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Prairie Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Prairie Center is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
- Triumph
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- East Paw Paw
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- East Paw Paw is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Paw Paw
- Lee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Radley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Radley is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radley
- Paw Paw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Steward
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- The Burg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- The Burg is located in Lee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Burg
- Compton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- West Brooklyn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ogle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Creston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rochelle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hillcrest
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Normantown
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Normantown is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normantown
- Plainfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Walker
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Walker is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Summerfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Summerfield is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Crystal Lawns
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Crystal Lawns is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lawns
- Shorewood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomfield Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
- Romeoville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bolingbrook
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Colonial Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Colonial Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Winston Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Winston Village is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
- Crest Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Little Rock, see our County-by-County Page for Little Rock.
Cemeteries Near Little Rock ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Little Rock.
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 Little Rock - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Little Rock covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Scott Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Fowler Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Welch Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Big Rock Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Plano Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Paul Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Oaklawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Bluff Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bluff Cemetery
- The Sandy Bluff Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hart Cemetery
- Greenwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Van Olindas Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Oakridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jericho Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (310 more) ...
- Oak Mound Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Griswold Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Miller Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Little Rock had a population of 101 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Little Rock, with the one closest to Little Rock listed first.
- Big Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Plano
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hinckley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sandwich
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Franks
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Franks is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
- Somonauk
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Millbrook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Fox
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fox is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
- Yorkville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bristol
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Sugar Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kaneville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Pavillion
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pavillion is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavillion
- Millington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Waterman
(10 miles [16.1 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 Little Rock. See our List of 1890's Communities around Little Rock.
Newspapers Published in Little Rock ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Little Rock.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Little Rock, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Little Rock.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Little Rock:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Kendall County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cook County
- DeKalb County
- DuPage County
- Grundy County
- Kane County
- La Salle County
- Lee County
- Ogle County
- Will 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 Little Rock, 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- Little Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |