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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 Oakton (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 Oakton. 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 and doctors 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.

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

  • Cook County     (The home county of Oakton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakton, with the one closest to Oakton listed first.
    • South Evanston
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • South Evanston is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Evanston
    • Birchwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Birchwood is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
    • Evanston
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Bowmanville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Bowmanville is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
    • Lincolnwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Skokie
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Kenilworth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Wilmette
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Buena Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Buena Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Park
    • Albany Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Albany Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany Park
    • Jefferson Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
    • Grayland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Grayland is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayland
    • Golf
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakton, with the one closest to Oakton listed first.
    • Bensenville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Elmhurst
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wood Dale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • South Elmhurst
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
    • Villa Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Villa Park is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
    • Addison
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Itasca
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Oak Brook
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Utopia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
    • Medinah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Hinsdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lombard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Kane County
    • East Dundee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakton, with the one closest to Oakton listed first.
    • Braeside
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Braeside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
    • Ravinia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ravinia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
    • Highland Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Deerfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Highwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bannockburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Riverwoods
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Aptakisic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Aptakisic is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
    • Buffalo Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lincolnshire
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Forest
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Prairie View
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Prairie View is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie View
    • Lake Bluff
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • McHenry County
    • Fox River Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakton, with the one closest to Oakton listed first.
    • Colonial Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Winston Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Winston Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
    • Bolingbrook
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Goodings Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
  • Lake County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakton, with the one closest to Oakton listed first.
    • Whiting
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • East Chicago
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Oakton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oakton.

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

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Chicago.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105009 <2>
  • Rosehill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • St. Henry Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Rosehill Mausoleum
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. Boniface Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Ridge Lawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Montrose Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Luke Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Luke Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Luke Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Albany Park.
    • The St. Luke Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Lucas Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107959 <2>
  • Bohemian National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohemian National Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bohemian National Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Albany Park.
    • The Bohemian National Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bohemian National Cemetery of Chicago
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #216236 <2>
  • Getty Tomb
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Graceland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (244 more) ...
    • St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Wilmette.
      • The St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Gross Point Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2188989 <2>
    • St. Joseph Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Memorial Park Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Birchwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Birchwood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
  • South Evanston
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • South Evanston is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Evanston
  • Rogers Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Rogers Park is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Park
  • Evanston
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • North Evanston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • North Evanston is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Evanston
  • Bowmanville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Bowmanville is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
  • Summerdale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Summerdale is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerdale
  • Edgewater
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Edgewater is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewater
  • Ravenswood
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Ravenswood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenswood
  • Buena Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Buena Park is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Park
  • Kenilworth
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Wilmette
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Jefferson Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
    • Mayfair
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mayfair is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfair
    • Cuyler
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cuyler is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuyler

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

Newspapers Published in Oakton ...

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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oakton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oakton, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oakton.

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 Oakton:

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 Oakton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Oakton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.