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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 Pioneer (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 Pioneer. 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.

Pioneer is located in Peoria 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 Peoria County: Fulton, Knox, Marshall, Stark, Tazewell & Woodford.

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

  • Peoria County     (The home county of Pioneer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Orange Prairie
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Keller
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Keller is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
    • Pottstown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Pottstown is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
    • Peoria Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dunlap
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Mossville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • West Peoria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • North Peoria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • North Peoria is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
    • Edwards
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Norwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Norwood is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
    • Bellevue
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Bellevue is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
    • Maxwell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Bureau County
    • Milo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Milo is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Farmington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Breeds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Breeds is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
    • Banner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Brereton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Brereton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
    • Norris
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Canton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunfermline
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint David
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Bybee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bybee is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Yates City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Williamsfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dahinda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Maquon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Victoria
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Appleton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Appleton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
    • Gilson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Hopewell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hopewell is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Camp Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Sparland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lacon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Lacon is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,713 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lacon <1>
    • La Rose
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Henry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Henry is located in Marshall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,230 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henry <1>
    • Varna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Manito
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Union
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Union is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Forest City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Forest City is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
    • Goofy Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Carlock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Danvers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Danvers is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
      • Danvers has also been known as:
      • Danver
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <1>
  • Putnam County
  • Stark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Speer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wyoming
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • West Jersey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • West Jersey is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
    • Castleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Modena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Modena is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
    • Toulon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bradford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • La Fayette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Osceola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Osceola is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Trailpark Gardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Trailpark Gardens is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailpark Gardens
    • East Peoria
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • East Peoria is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Peoria
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,344 people
      • Former name for East Peoria:
      • Hilton
    • Harvard Hills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Harvard Hills is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard Hills
    • Wesley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Wesley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
    • Highway Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Highway Village is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway Village
    • Creve Coeur
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Creve Coeur is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creve Coeur
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,109 people
      • Former name for Creve Coeur:
      • Wesley City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Creve Coeur <1>
    • Robein
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Robein is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robein
    • Sunnyland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Marquette Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Marquette Heights is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,617 people
    • North Pekin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • North Pekin is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pekin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,530 people
      • Former name for North Pekin:
      • Radio City
    • Beverly Manor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Beverly Manor is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Manor
    • Farmdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
  • Woodford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pioneer, with the one closest to Pioneer listed first.
    • Bay View Gardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
    • Spring Bay
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
    • Germantown Hills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Metamora
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Eureka
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Washburn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Goodfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Roanoke
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Congerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Secor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Benson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Pioneer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pioneer.

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

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

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

  • Swan Lake Memory Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Resurrection Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Koerner Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Pottstown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Hawley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Robinson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Dickeson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hebrew Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Parkview Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Patrick's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Prospect Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the north of Dunlap.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107584 <2>
  • Continue List   (332 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Pioneer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Pioneer.

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

  • Orange Prairie
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Alta
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Keller
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Keller is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
  • Pottstown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Pottstown is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
  • Edwards
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Dunlap
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • North Peoria
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • North Peoria is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
  • Mossville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Kramm
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Kramm is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kramm
  • Maxwell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Maxwell is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Peoria
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Kickapoo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Kickapoo is located in Peoria County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickapoo
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Spring Bay
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
    • Akron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Akron is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron
    • Hanna City
      (9 miles [14.5 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 Pioneer. See our List of 1890's Communities around Pioneer.

Newspapers Published in Pioneer ...

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 316 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pioneer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pioneer, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pioneer.

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 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 Pioneer:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Pioneer) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Pioneer, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.