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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 Monterey (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 Monterey. 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 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.

Monterey is located in Fulton County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Fulton County: Knox, Mason, McDonough, Peoria, Schuyler, Tazewell & Warren.

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

  • Fulton County     (The home county of Monterey)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Breeds
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
    • Banner
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dunfermline
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Canton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Brereton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Brereton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
    • Saint David
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Norris
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Liverpool
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Farmington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Fiatt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bybee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Bybee is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Yates City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Maquon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Williamsfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • De Long
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • De Long is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Long
    • Saint Augustine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dahinda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Appleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Appleton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
    • Abingdon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Emden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • New Holland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Goofy Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
    • Buzzville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Buzzville is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
    • Manito
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Union
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Forest City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Topeka
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Havana
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Poplar City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Easton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Long Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Long Branch is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
    • Teheran
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Teheran is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teheran
    • San Jose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • McDonough County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • New Philadelphia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • New Philadelphia is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Philadelphia
    • Prairie City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Prairie City is located in McDonough County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
    • Adair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Bushnell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Menard County
    • Oakford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Peoria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Glasford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Kingston Mines
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Trivoli
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Mapleton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Hanna City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bartonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Elmwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bellevue
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Maxwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Norwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Norwood is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
    • Edwards
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Pottstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pottstown is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
  • Schuyler County
    • Bluff City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Bluff City is located in Schuyler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Radville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Radville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radville
    • Talbott
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Talbott is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbott
    • Parkland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Parkland is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkland
    • Stoehrs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Stoehrs is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoehrs
    • Crescent
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Midway
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Midway is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Powerton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Powerton is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powerton
    • Hawley ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Hawley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
    • South Pekin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • South Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
    • Pekin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pekin <1>
    • Schaeferville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Schaeferville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schaeferville
    • Pekin Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Pekin Heights is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin Heights
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monterey, with the one closest to Monterey listed first.
    • Bay View Gardens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
    • Germantown Hills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Bay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people

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

Cemeteries Near Monterey ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Monterey.

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

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

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

  • Bybee Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Utica Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Breeds Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Orendorff Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Walnut Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Kings Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Red School Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • White Chapel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Wolf Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (331 more) ...
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Highbridge Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pollitt Cemetery
      (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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Monterey had a population of 32 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Banner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Breeds
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Breeds is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
  • Rawalts
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rawalts is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawalts
  • Dunfermline
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Canton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Saint David
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Glasford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Norris
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Maples Mill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Maples Mill is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maples Mill
  • Civer ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Civer is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Civer
  • Bryant
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Kingston Mines
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Liverpool
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Cramer
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Cramer is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cramer
    • Farmington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Monterey ...

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 151 newspapers that have been published in the area around Monterey.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Monterey, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Monterey.

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 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 Monterey:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Monterey, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Monterey) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.