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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 Oak Forest (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 Oak Forest. 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 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.

Oak Forest is located in Cook 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 Cook County: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Lake (IN) & Berrien (MI).

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

  • Cook County     (The home county of Oak Forest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Crestwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Midlothian
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Markham
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Robbins
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Country Club Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hazel Crest
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Tinley Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Alsip
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Posen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Palos Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Orland Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Dixmoor
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Dixmoor is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixmoor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,518 people
    • Blue Island
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Blue Island is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Island
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,616 people
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Tedens ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Tedens is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
    • Willowbrook
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Darien
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarendon Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hinsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Westmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Brook
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Downers Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Brook Terrace is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook Terrace
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
    • Utopia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
    • Lisle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lisle is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisle <1>
    • South Elmhurst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Channahon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Minooka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Kane County
    • Aurora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Manteno
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Grant Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Grant Park is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
    • Saint George
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Saint George is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
    • Sherburnville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sherburnville is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherburnville
    • Bourbonnais
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Bradley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Momence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Kendall County
    • Boulder Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Frankfort Square
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Frankfort Square is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
    • Frankfort
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mokena
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Goodings Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
    • Homer Glen
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Homer Glen is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Glen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,281 people
      • Homer Glen has also been known as:
      • Homer Glen village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer Glen <1>
    • University Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Steger
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilletts ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gilletts is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
    • Monee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Crete
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • New Lenox
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Brisbane
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Brisbane is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbane
    • Cherry Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Cherry Hill is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Hill
  • Lake County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Hammond
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Hammond is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Munster
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Munster is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munster <1>
    • Whiting
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Dyer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
    • East Chicago
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Hessville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
    • Highland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Hartsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
    • Griffith
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Schererville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint John
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • New Elliott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • New Elliott is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elliott
    • Gary
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Gary is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,693 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <1>
  • Porter County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Forest, with the one closest to Oak Forest listed first.
    • Ogden Dunes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Ogden Dunes is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden Dunes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,083 people
    • Woodland Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Woodland Village is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • Portage
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Portage is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 37,137 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <1>
    • Willow Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Willow Creek is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
    • Wheeler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Wheeler is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Forest.

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 Oak Forest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Oak Forest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak Forest.

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

  • Goeselville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Goeselville is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goeselville
  • Tinley Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Worth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Homewood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Harvey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Blue Island
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Blue Island is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Island
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,616 people
  • Alpine
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Alpine is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
  • Matteson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Riverdale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Mount Greenwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Mount Greenwood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Greenwood
  • Thornton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Thornton Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Thornton Junction is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton Junction
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • South Holland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Gano
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Gano is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gano
    • Morgan Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Morgan Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Park

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Forest ...

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 110 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Forest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Forest, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Forest.

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 helpful 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 Oak Forest:

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