RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Winnebago County >> Loves Park >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Loves Park (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 Loves Park. 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 Loves Park ...

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.

While the name of this city is Loves Park, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Loves Park may originally have been Love's Park.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Loves Park might be written as Love Park.

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 southwest 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 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.

Loves Park is primarily located in Winnebago County. A portion of Loves Park extends into Boone 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 Winnebago County: Boone, DeKalb, Ogle, Stephenson, Green (WI) & Rock (WI).

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

  • Winnebago County     (The home county of Loves Park)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Machesney Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Argyle
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Argyle is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
    • Sturbridge Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Sturbridge Village is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge Village
    • Roscoe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Roscoe is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <2>
    • Rockford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Rockton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • North Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • North Park is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Park
    • Indian Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
    • South Beloit
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Wempletown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
    • New Millford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • New Millford is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Shirland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Caledonia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Timberlane
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Timberlane is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
    • Poplar Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Belvidere
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Russellville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Russellville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
    • Irene
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Irene is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
    • Capron
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Garden Prairie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Herbert
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Herbert is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Fairdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Kirkland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Kingston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Esmond
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Genoa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Clare
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Brush Point ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Brush Point is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Point
    • Charter Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Charter Grove is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Grove
    • New Lebanon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • New Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
    • Malta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Coltonville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Coltonville is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltonville
    • Sycamore
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sycamore is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,317 people
    • De Kalb
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Hampshire
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Burlington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • McHenry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Harvard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Marengo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Big Foot Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Foot Prairie is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
    • Union
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Alden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Woodstock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Hebron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Davis Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Monroe Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Stillman Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Holcomb
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Lindenwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Byron
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Egan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Egan is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
    • Leaf River
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillcrest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
    • Chana
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Creston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Flagg Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • Honey Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
  • Stephenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Davis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Davis is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 616 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davis <2>
    • Ridott
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Rock City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Rock City is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
    • German Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Dakota
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Rock Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Rock Grove is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Grove
    • Afolkey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Afolkey is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afolkey
  • Green County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Brodhead
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Brodhead is located in Green County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodhead
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
    • Twin Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Twin Grove is located in Green County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Grove
  • Rock County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Beloit
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Beloit is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36,637 people
    • Garden Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Garden Village is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
    • Shopiere
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Shopiere is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopiere
    • Clinton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Clinton is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,119 people
    • Tiffany
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Tiffany is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiffany
    • Newark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Newark is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
    • Avalon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Avalon is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
    • Emerald Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Emerald Grove is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Grove
    • Hanover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Hanover is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
    • Avon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Avon is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
    • Janesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Janesville is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janesville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64,664 people
    • Orfordville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Orfordville is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orfordville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,486 people
    • Footville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Footville is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 822 people
  • Walworth County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Loves Park, with the one closest to Loves Park listed first.
    • Sharon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
    • Allens Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Allens Grove is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Grove
    • Big Foot Prairie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Foot Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
    • Darien
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Darien is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
    • Walworth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Walworth is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walworth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
    • Delavan Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Delavan Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan Lake
    • Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 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
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Delavan is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,240 people
    • Williams Bay
      (28 miles [45.1 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
    • Richmond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Richmond is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
    • Zenda
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Zenda is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
    • Lake Como
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como

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

Cemeteries Near Loves Park ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Loves Park.

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 Loves Park - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Sunset Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Harlem Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Guilford Union Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Marsh Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Auburn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. James & St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Scotch Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Roscoe Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Cedar Bluff Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Scandinavian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Guilford Turner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (244 more) ...
    • Davis Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Starkey Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Arlington Memorial Park
      (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.<4>

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

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

  • Harlem
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Harlem is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
  • Ruby
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Ruby is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
  • Argyle
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Argyle is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
  • Genet
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Genet is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genet
  • Jonesville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jonesville is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
  • Caledonia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Roscoe
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Roscoe is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,406 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <2>
  • Rockford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Perryville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Perryville is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perryville
  • Cherry Valley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Greendale
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Greendale is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
  • Belvidere
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rockton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Poplar Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Hunter
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hunter is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Loves Park ...

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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Loves Park.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Loves Park. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Loves Park and those printed in the larger area surrounding Loves Park.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<5> of Loves Park.

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 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 Loves Park:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Loves Park, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Loves Park) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.