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 Paxton (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 Paxton. 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 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.
Paxton is located in Ford County and is the County Seat.
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 Ford County: Champaign, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, McLean & Vermilion.
Below are the counties that are near Paxton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Paxton:
- Ford County (The home county of Paxton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Elliott
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Melvin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roberts
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gibson City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- 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>
- Garber
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Proctor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Sibley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Piper City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Ludlow
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Gifford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rantoul
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Prospect
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Prospect is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Penfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dewey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Flatville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Flatville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
- Thomasboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Fisher
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Foosland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Royal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lotus
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lotus is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
- Lake of the Woods
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
- Iroquois County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Loda
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Buckley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cissna Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Thawville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Del Rey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
- Claytonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgeville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Onarga
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Goodwine
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Woodworth
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- La Hogue
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
- Schwer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Schwer is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwer
- Gilman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Strawn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Chatsworth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Forrest
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Charlotte
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Charlotte is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
- Fairbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wing
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wing is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
- Cullom
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Cropsey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saybrook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bellflower
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Anchor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Laurette
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Laurette is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
- Kumler
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kumler is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
- Glen Avon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Glen Avon is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
- Arrowsmith
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Colfax
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Piatt County
- Mansfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Vermilion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Rankin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- East Lynn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Armstrong
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Potomac
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hoopeston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Collison
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rossville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Henning
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Coalton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Coalton is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
- Fithian
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Newtown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Newtown is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Alvin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Alvin is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 246 people
- Alvin has also been known as:
- Alvan Village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvin <1>
- Glenburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Glenburn is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenburn
- Benton County (IN)
- Ambia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Ambia is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Paxton, see our County-by-County Page for Paxton.
Cemeteries Near Paxton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Paxton.
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 Paxton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Paxton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Prospect Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Glen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Pells Park Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Ten Mile Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Hall Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Meharry Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Trickle Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Ridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Huffman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Ludlow Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ludlow Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the southwest of Ludlow.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #106685 <3>
- Harwood Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood Chapel Cemetery
- The Harwood Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Webber Cemetery
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (201 more) ...
- Farmersville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pontoppidan Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Paxton had a population of 2,187 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Paxton had a population of 4,117 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
- Loda
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Ludlow
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Clarence
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Clarence is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
- Dillsburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dillsburg is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsburg
- Elliott
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Gifford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rankin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Buckley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Tomlinson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tomlinson is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomlinson
- Prospect
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Prospect is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Rantoul
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Roberts
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Melvin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Guthrie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Guthrie is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guthrie
- Dewey
(13 miles [20.9 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 Paxton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Paxton.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Paxton ...
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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Paxton.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Paxton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Paxton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Paxton.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2> of Paxton.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Paxton:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Ford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Champaign County
- Iroquois County
- Livingston County
- McLean County
- Piatt County
- Vermilion County
- Benton 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> | 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- Paxton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Paxton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |