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 Osco (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 Osco. 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 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.
Osco is located in Henry 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 Henry County: Bureau, Knox, Mercer, Rock Island, Stark & Whiteside.
Below are the counties that are near Osco. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Osco:
- Henry County (The home county of Osco)
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Morristown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Morristown is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morristown
- Andover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cambridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lynn Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Orion
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Briar Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Briar Bluff is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Bluff
- Colona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ophiem
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ophiem is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophiem
- Hickory Hills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hickory Hills is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Hills
- Geneseo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Green Rock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Green Rock is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Rock
- Cleveland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cleveland is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
- Dayton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Dayton is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Bureau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Mineral
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Neponset
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Yorktown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Yorktown is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
- Sheffield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Altona
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Rio
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Oneida
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Henderson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Wataga
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Henderson Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Henderson Grove is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Grove
- Victoria
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- East Galesburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- East Galesburg is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galesburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
- Galesburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Knox
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Knox is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
- Appleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Appleton is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
- Dahinda
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Knoxville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Sherrard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Griffin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Griffin is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
- New Windsor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- New Windsor is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Windsor
- Windsor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Windsor is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 760 people
- Preemption
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Matherville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Viola
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Gilchrist
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Gilchrist is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilchrist
- North Henderson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shale City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shale City is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shale City
- Alexis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Burgess
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Burgess is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgess
- Norwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Norwood is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Rock Island County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Rustic Acres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Rustic Acres is located in Rock Island County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustic Acres
- Carbon Cliff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barstow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Silvis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- East Moline
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- East Moline is located in Rock Island County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Moline
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,473 people
- Joslin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Joslin is located in Rock Island County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joslin
- Coyne Center
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Coyne Center is located in Rock Island County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyne Center
- Hampton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Rock Island County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
- Rapids City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Milan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Moline
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- La Fayette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Osceola
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Osceola is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Toulon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Jersey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- Modena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Shanghai City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shanghai City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai City
- Utah
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Utah is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utah
- Gerlaw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whiteside County
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Erie
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Pratt ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pratt is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
- Newton Corners
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Newton Corners is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Corners
- Denrock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Denrock is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denrock
- Prophetstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fenton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Albany
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Clinton County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Folletts
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Folletts is located in Clinton County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folletts
- Shaffton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Shaffton is located in Clinton County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaffton
- Camanche
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Muscatine County (IA)
- Midway Beach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Midway Beach is located in Muscatine County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway Beach
- Scott County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Panorama Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Panorama Park is located in Scott County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 331 people
- Riverdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Riverdale is located in Scott County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
- Le Claire
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bettendorf
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Davenport
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Princeton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Buffalo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Eldridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Blue Grass
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Park View
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Park View is located in Scott County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park View
- McCausland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- McCausland is located in Scott County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCausland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
- Long Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Osco, see our County-by-County Page for Osco.
Cemeteries Near Osco ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Osco.
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 Osco - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Osco covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Grace Episcopal Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Morristown Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Presbyterian Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Andover Twp. Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Orion Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lynn Center Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Rose Dale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Munson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Edford Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Western Twp. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western Twp. Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Western Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Orion.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108818 <2>
- McNay Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Talbot Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (279 more) ...
- Green Bush Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Bush Cemetery
- The Green Bush Cemetery has also been known as:
- Brush Hill Cemetery
- Brushwood Cemetery
- Greenbush Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105908 <2>
- Grace Lutheran Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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 Osco had a population of 81 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Osco, with the one closest to Osco listed first.
- Andover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Morristown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Morristown is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morristown
- Lynn Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Cambridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Orion
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Warner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Warner is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warner
- Sunny Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sunny Hill is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Hill
- Ulah
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ulah is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulah
- Briar Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Briar Bluff is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Bluff
- Swedona
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Swedona is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedona
- Green River
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Green River is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green River
- Geneseo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Cleveland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cleveland is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
- Alpha
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carbon Cliff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Osco. See our List of 1890's Communities around Osco.
Newspapers Published in Osco ...
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 124 newspapers that have been published in the area around Osco.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Osco, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Osco.
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 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 Osco:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Henry County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bureau County
- Knox County
- Mercer County
- Rock Island County
- Stark County
- Warren County
- Whiteside County
- Clinton County
- Muscatine County
- Scott County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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 Osco, 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- Osco) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |