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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 Maytown (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 Maytown. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Maytown 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 Maytown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Maytown:

  • Lee County     (The home county of Maytown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Amboy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Sublette
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Inlet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Lee Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Eldena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Harmon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • West Brooklyn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • The Burg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • The Burg is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Burg
    • Nachusa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Compton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Franklin Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Dixon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Nelson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Van Orin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Ohio
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • La Moille
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Kasbeer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenoak
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
    • Limerick
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • Zearing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Zearing is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zearing
    • Arlington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Walnut
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dover
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Malden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Cherry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hollowayville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Hollowayville is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollowayville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Hazelhurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
    • South Elkhorn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Shabbona Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove
    • Shabbona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Henry County
    • Hooppole
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Mendota
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Troy Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Triumph
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Waltham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Waltham is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltham
    • Earlville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Peru
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Prairie Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Prairie Center is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
    • North Utica
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • North Utica is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Utica
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,333 people
    • Oglesby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Utica
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Deer Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Deer Park is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Carthage
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Carthage is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Flagg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
    • Woosung
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Watertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Watertown is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Flagg Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • Chana
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Honey Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
    • Rochelle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Oregon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Polo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hillcrest
      (27 miles [43.5 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
    • Buffalo Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
    • Creston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Mark
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Granville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Hennepin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Standard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Putnam
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Maytown, with the one closest to Maytown listed first.
    • Deer Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Rock Falls
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Sterling
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Tampico
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Galt
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Penrose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
    • Coleta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lyndon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Prophetstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Malvern
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern

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

Cemeteries Near Maytown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Maytown.

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

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

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

  • St. Patrick's Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sandy Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Williams Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mormon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Van Orin Repose Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Baird - Pumphrey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • St. Patrick Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • St. Patrick's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Stevens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (229 more) ...
    • Ohio Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Theiss 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>

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

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

  • Van Orin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ohio
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Amboy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Sublette
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Walton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Walton is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
  • La Moille
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Kasbeer
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Lee Center
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Eldena
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Limerick
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Limerick is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
  • Greenoak
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
  • Harmon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Walnut
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • West Brooklyn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Maytown ...

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 Maytown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Maytown, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Maytown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Maytown:

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 Maytown, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Maytown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.