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The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





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 Ottawa (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 Ottawa. 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 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 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.

Ottawa is located in La Salle County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of La Salle County: Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, Putnam & Woodford.

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

  • La Salle County     (The home county of Ottawa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • South Ottawa ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Hitt
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hitt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
      • Hitt is located in La Salle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hitt
      • From Ottawa to Hitt
    • Naplate
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naplate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naplate
      • Naplate is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 465 people
    • Dayton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wedron
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Blakes
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blakes. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
      • Blakes is located in La Salle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blakes
      • From Ottawa to Blakes
    • Grand Ridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • North Utica
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Utica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Utica
      • North Utica is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,333 people
    • Utica
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
      • Utica is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Utica <3>
    • Prairie Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Serena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Serena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serena
      • Serena is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Serena <3>
    • Marseilles
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marseilles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marseilles
      • Marseilles is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,778 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marseilles <3>
    • Deer Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
      • Deer Park is located in La Salle County
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Dalzell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dalzell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalzell
      • Dalzell is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dalzell <3>
    • Spring Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
      • Spring Valley is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Valley <3>
    • Cherry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry
      • Cherry is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 448 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cherry <3>
    • Ladd
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Ottville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Arlington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <3>
    • Seatonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • De Pue
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Pue have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Pue
      • De Pue is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,665 people
    • Hollowayville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollowayville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollowayville
      • Hollowayville is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
    • La Moille
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Zearing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Bureau Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Malden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malden
      • Malden is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malden <3>
  • DeKalb County
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Nettle Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Kinsman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wauponsee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Verona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Morris
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morris have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris
      • Morris is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,162 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morris <3>
    • Highland Town ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
      • Highland Town is located in Grundy County
    • Claypool
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Gaslight Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaslight Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
      • Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
    • Mazon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Sand Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sand Ridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
      • Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sand Ridge
      • From Ottawa to Sand Ridge
    • Carbon Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carbon Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
      • Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Coal City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coal City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
      • Coal City is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,351 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coal City <3>
    • Gardner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardner
      • Gardner is located in Grundy County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gardner <3>
  • Kendall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Newark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Newark is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,029 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newark <3>
    • Lisbon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lisbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Lisbon is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lisbon
      • From Ottawa to Lisbon
    • Millbrook
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
      • Millbrook is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millbrook <3>
    • Plattville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plattville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
      • Plattville is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Plano
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plano have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Plano is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <3>
    • Little Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock
      • Little Rock is located in Kendall County
    • Yorkville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yorkville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kendall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yorkville <3>
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Radley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Radley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radley
      • Radley is located in Lee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Radley
      • From Ottawa to Radley
    • East Paw Paw
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Paw Paw have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Paw Paw
      • East Paw Paw is located in Lee County
    • Paw Paw
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Compton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Compton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
      • Compton is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Compton <3>
    • The Burg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sublette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sublette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublette
      • Sublette is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 415 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sublette <3>
    • West Brooklyn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Brooklyn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brooklyn
      • West Brooklyn is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Brooklyn <3>
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Munster
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Vermilion City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vermilion City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilion City
      • Vermilion City is located in Livingston County
    • Coalville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coalville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
      • Coalville is located in Livingston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Coalville
      • From Ottawa to Coalville
    • Missal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Missal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missal
      • Missal is located in Livingston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Missal
      • From Ottawa to Missal
    • Blackstone
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackstone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackstone
      • Blackstone is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blackstone <3>
    • Budd
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Budd. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Budd
      • Budd is located in Livingston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Budd
      • From Ottawa to Budd
    • Ancona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Sunbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sunbury. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbury
      • Sunbury is located in Livingston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sunbury
      • From Ottawa to Sunbury
    • Long Point
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Point
      • Long Point is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Point <3>
    • Cornell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornell
      • Cornell is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 451 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cornell <3>
    • Dwight
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Odell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Wenona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wenona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
      • Wenona is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 926 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wenona <3>
    • Evans ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Toluca
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Varna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
    • Standard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Mount Palatine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Palatine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine
      • Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
    • Granville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • McNabb
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McNabb have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNabb
      • McNabb is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McNabb <3>
    • Mark
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mark have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mark
      • Mark is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mark <3>
    • Magnolia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Magnolia is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Magnolia <3>
    • Hennepin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hennepin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hennepin
      • Hennepin is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 701 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hennepin <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Ottawa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ottawa.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Ottawa Ave. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Summit View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Summit View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Summit View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Columba Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Oakwood Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Trumbo Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Grand Ridge Mutual & Poundstone Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Ridge Mutual & Poundstone Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Ridge Mutual & Poundstone Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shaver Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shaver Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shaver Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Galloway Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Galloway Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Galloway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Debolt Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Grand Rapids Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grand Rapids Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grand Rapids Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Brumbach Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Brumbach Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Brumbach Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (257 more) ...
    • Nichols Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nichols Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nichols Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Freedom Lutheran Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Freedom Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Freedom Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Riverview Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ottawa had a population of 9,985 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ottawa had a population of 18,097 people.

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

  • South Ottawa ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hitt
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hitt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
    • Hitt is located in La Salle County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hitt
    • From Ottawa to Hitt
  • Dayton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Wedron
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Grand Ridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Blakes
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blakes. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
    • Blakes is located in La Salle County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Blakes
    • From Ottawa to Blakes
  • Utica
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
    • Utica is located in La Salle County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Utica <3>
  • Farm Ridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farm Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farm Ridge
    • Farm Ridge is located in La Salle County
  • Danway
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danway
    • Danway is located in La Salle County
  • Prairie Center
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Deer Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
    • Deer Park is located in La Salle County
  • Vermilionville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Marseilles
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marseilles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marseilles
      • Marseilles is located in La Salle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,778 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marseilles <3>
    • Serena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Serena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Serena
      • Serena is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Serena <3>
    • Lowell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell is located in La Salle County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ottawa ...

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 185 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottawa.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ottawa. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ottawa and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ottawa.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6> of Ottawa.

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 Ottawa:

The official website for Ottawa: www.cityofottawa.org/

The official website for La Salle County: www.lasallecounty.org/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Ottawa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ottawa) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ottawa. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3522, Longitude: -88.8412    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025