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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 Melvin (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 Melvin. 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 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.

Melvin is located in Ford County.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ford County: Champaign, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, McLean & Vermilion.

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

  • Ford County     (The home county of Melvin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Roberts
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roberts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
      • Roberts is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roberts <2>
    • Elliott
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Sibley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sibley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
      • Sibley is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sibley <2>
    • Garber
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Garber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
      • Garber is located in Ford County
    • Gibson City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
      • Gibson City is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
      • Gibson City has also been known as:
      • Gibson
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <2>
    • Paxton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paxton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
      • Paxton is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxton <2>
    • Piper City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Proctor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Proctor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
    • Kempton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kempton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kempton
      • Kempton is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kempton <2>
    • Cabery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabery
      • Cabery is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cabery <2>
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Ludlow
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ludlow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Ludlow is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ludlow <2>
    • Dewey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dewey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey
      • Dewey is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dewey <2>
    • Prospect
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
    • Foosland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Fisher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fisher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <2>
    • Rantoul
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rantoul have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rantoul
      • Rantoul is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rantoul <2>
    • Lotus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
      • Lotus is located in Champaign County
    • Gifford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gifford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gifford
      • Gifford is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,035 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gifford <2>
    • Thomasboro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomasboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasboro
      • Thomasboro is located in Champaign County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,066 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thomasboro <2>
    • Flatville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
      • Flatville is located in Champaign County
    • Penfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake of the Woods
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake of the Woods have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
      • Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Farmer City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Watkins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
  • Iroquois County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Loda
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
      • Loda is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <2>
    • Thawville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thawville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thawville
      • Thawville is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thawville <2>
    • Buckley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckley
      • Buckley is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckley <2>
    • Del Rey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
      • Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
    • Ridgeville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ridgeville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
      • Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
    • La Hogue
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
      • La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
    • Onarga
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Cissna Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cissna Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cissna Park
      • Cissna Park is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cissna Park <2>
    • Gilman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodworth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
      • Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
    • Claytonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Danforth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danforth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danforth
      • Danforth is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danforth <2>
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Strawn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawn
      • Strawn is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Strawn <2>
    • Chatsworth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth
      • Chatsworth is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatsworth <2>
    • Forrest
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forrest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forrest
      • Forrest is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,124 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forrest <2>
    • Charlotte
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Charlotte. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
      • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
    • Fairbury
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Wing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
      • Wing is located in Livingston County
    • Cullom
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cullom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullom
      • Cullom is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 519 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cullom <2>
    • Avoca ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avoca. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Avoca is located in Livingston County
    • Saunemin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Griswold
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Griswold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
      • Griswold is located in Livingston County
    • Eylar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eylar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
      • Eylar is located in Livingston County
    • McDowell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
      • McDowell is located in Livingston County
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Cropsey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Anchor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Saybrook
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saybrook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saybrook
      • Saybrook is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saybrook <2>
    • Colfax
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colfax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Colfax is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,009 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colfax <2>
    • Arrowsmith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arrowsmith have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrowsmith
      • Arrowsmith is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arrowsmith <2>
    • Bellflower
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellflower have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellflower
      • Bellflower is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellflower <2>
    • Weston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in McLean County
    • Glen Avon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
      • Glen Avon is located in McLean County
    • Laurette
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laurette. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
      • Laurette is located in McLean County
    • Cooksville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Kumler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kumler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
      • Kumler is located in McLean County
    • Ellsworth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Ellsworth is located in McLean County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ellsworth <2>
  • Piatt County
    • Mansfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mansfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield
      • Mansfield is located in Piatt County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 939 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mansfield <2>
  • Vermilion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Melvin, with the one closest to Melvin listed first.
    • Rankin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rankin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
      • Rankin is located in Vermilion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rankin <2>
    • East Lynn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lynn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
      • East Lynn is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Lynn <2>
    • Armstrong
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Potomac
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potomac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac
      • Potomac is located in Vermilion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Potomac <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Melvin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Melvin.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Melvin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Melvin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Melvin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oregon Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oregon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oregon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Germanville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Germanville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Germanville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meharry Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meharry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meharry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Pontoppidan Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pontoppidan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pontoppidan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Farmersville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmersville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmersville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ten Mile Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ten Mile Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ten Mile Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Ridge Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Strawn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Strawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Strawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Drummer Twp. Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drummer Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Drummer Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lisk Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lisk Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lisk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (158 more) ...
    • Thawville Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thawville Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thawville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Blackford Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blackford Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blackford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Prospect Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prospect Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prospect Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Melvin had a population of 491 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Melvin had a population of 410 people.

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

  • Roberts
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roberts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
    • Roberts is located in Ford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roberts <2>
  • Guthrie
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guthrie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guthrie
    • Guthrie is located in Ford County
  • Elliott
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Sibley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sibley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
    • Sibley is located in Ford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sibley <2>
  • Garber
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Garber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Garber is located in Ford County
  • Gibson City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
    • Gibson City is located in Ford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
    • Gibson City has also been known as:
    • Gibson
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <2>
  • Loda
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
    • Loda is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <2>
  • Thawville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thawville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thawville
    • Thawville is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 241 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thawville <2>
  • Strawn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Strawn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawn
    • Strawn is located in Livingston County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Strawn <2>
  • Risk
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Risk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Risk
    • Risk is located in Livingston County
  • Paxton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paxton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
    • Paxton is located in Ford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,117 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxton <2>
  • Buckley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckley
    • Buckley is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buckley <2>
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Chatsworth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth
      • Chatsworth is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatsworth <2>
    • Cropsey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Del Rey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
      • Del Rey is located in Iroquois County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Melvin ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Melvin.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Melvin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Melvin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Melvin.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Melvin.

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 Melvin:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Melvin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Melvin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Melvin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Melvin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.5713, Longitude: -88.2468       In this case, the coordinates for Melvin have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025