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

New Bedford is located in Bureau 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 Bureau County: Henry, La Salle, Lee, Marshall, Putnam, Stark & Whiteside.

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

  • Bureau County     (The home county of New Bedford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Manlius
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Walnut
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Yorktown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Yorktown is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • Sheffield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Mineral
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Buda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Wyanet
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Kasbeer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Limerick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • Ohio
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Neponset
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Greenoak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
    • Princeton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Hooppole
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Annawan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Atkinson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kewanee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Geneseo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hickory Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Hickory Hills is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hills
    • Cambridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bishop Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Galva
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cleveland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Cleveland is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Harmon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Nelson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Prairieville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Prairieville is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
    • Amboy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Eldena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Sublette
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Dixon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lee Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Nachusa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Inlet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
  • Marshall County
  • Ogle County
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Hennepin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Putnam
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mark
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Granville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rock Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Hillsdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Joslin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Joslin is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joslin
    • Rustic Acres
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Rustic Acres is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustic Acres
  • Stark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Osceola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Osceola is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Bradford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Modena
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Modena is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
    • Castleton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Toulon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Wyoming
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • La Fayette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from New Bedford, with the one closest to New Bedford listed first.
    • Deer Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Tampico
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Prophetstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lyndon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Falls
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Denrock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Denrock is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denrock
    • Galt
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Sterling
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Pratt ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pratt is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
    • Erie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Erie is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,482 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erie <1>
    • Fenton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Morrison
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Malvern
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern

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

Cemeteries Near New Bedford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of New Bedford.

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 New Bedford - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • New Bedford Chapel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Fairfield Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Follett Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Bowen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Manlius Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Anderson Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Amish Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Gold Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Walnut Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Walnut Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Walnut.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2184735 <2>
  • Sand Hill Baptist Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Roggy Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Fairfield Yorktown Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (226 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Goble Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Maple Grove Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that New Bedford had a population of 105 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, New Bedford had a population of 69 people.

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

  • Manlius
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Thomas
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Thomas is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
  • Deer Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Walnut
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Yorktown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Yorktown is located in Bureau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
  • Tampico
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Mineral
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Sheffield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Hooppole
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Annawan
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Buda
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Wyanet
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Limerick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • Kasbeer
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Ohio
      (13 miles [20.9 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 New Bedford. See our List of 1890's Communities around New Bedford.

Newspapers Published in New Bedford ...

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 85 newspapers that have been published in the area around New Bedford.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of New Bedford, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for New Bedford.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to New Bedford:

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