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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 Ocoya (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 Ocoya. 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 doctors and 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.

Ocoya is located in Livingston 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 Livingston County: Ford, Grundy, Kankakee, La Salle, McLean & Woodford.

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

  • Livingston County     (The home county of Ocoya)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • McDowell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • McDowell is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
    • Pontiac
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Pontiac is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,176 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pontiac <1>
    • Graymont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Avoca ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Avoca is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
    • Fairbury
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cayuga
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Cayuga is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
    • Swygert
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Swygert is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swygert
    • Flanagan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cornell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Forrest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Wing
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Wing is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
    • Eylar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Eylar is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • Sibley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Kempton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Garber
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Piper City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Cabery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Gibson City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Gibson City is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
      • 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 <1>
    • Melvin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Roberts
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • Kinsman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Highland Town ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Highland Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
    • Verona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Kankakee County
    • Reddick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • Dana
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Dana is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dana <1>
    • Leeds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Leeds is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
    • Rutland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kernan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Kernan is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kernan
    • Streator
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Ransom
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Kangley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Kangley is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
    • Grand Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Leonore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lostant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Lostant is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lostant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 477 people
      • Lostant has also been known as:
      • Lost Ant
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lostant <1>
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • Wenona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Evans ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Evans is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
    • Toluca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • Chenoa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Weston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Weston is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
    • Meadows
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadows is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
    • Gridley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lexington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Colfax
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cropsey
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cooksville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Anchor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Towanda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Merna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hudson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ocoya, with the one closest to Ocoya listed first.
    • Panola
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Panola is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
    • El Paso
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Woodford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Woodford is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
    • Kappa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Kappa is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • Minonk
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Benson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Secor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Roanoke
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Congerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Ocoya ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ocoya.

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

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

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

  • Payne Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Chenoa Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Pike Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Weston Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Rook's Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pontiac City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac City Cemetery
    • The Pontiac City Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pontiac Southside Cemetery
    • South Side Cemetery
    • Southside Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #288460 <2>
  • Patty Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Houder Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Walden Farm Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • McMillan Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (204 more) ...
    • Rowe Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Corbins Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Johnson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ocoya had a population of 23 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Chenoa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Weston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Weston is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
  • McDowell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • McDowell is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
  • Pontiac
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Pontiac is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,176 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pontiac <1>
  • Rooks Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Rooks Creek is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rooks Creek
  • Lodemia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lodemia is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodemia
  • Graymont
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Meadows
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Meadows is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
  • Rowe
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Rowe is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
  • Fairbury
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Swygert
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Swygert is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swygert
  • Cayuga
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cayuga is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Flanagan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gridley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lexington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Ocoya ...

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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ocoya.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ocoya, 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 Ocoya.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Ocoya:

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 Ocoya, 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- Ocoya) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.