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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 Pitchin (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 Pitchin. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Pitchin is located in Iroquois 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 Iroquois County: Ford, Kankakee, Vermilion, Benton (IN) & Newton (IN).

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

  • Iroquois County     (The home county of Pitchin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Cissna Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Claytonville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodworth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
    • Goodwine
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Schwer
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Schwer is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwer
    • Buckley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Milford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Del Rey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
    • Woodland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Onarga
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wellington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Crescent City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Loda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Loda is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <1>
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Ludlow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Gifford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Penfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Rantoul
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Prospect
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
    • Flatville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Flatville is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
    • Royal
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Royal is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Royal <1>
    • Dewey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Thomasboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Paxton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Roberts
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Piper City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Melvin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Elliott
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Sibley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Garber
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Gibson City
      (28 miles [45.1 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>
    • Kempton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Sammons Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Sammons Point is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sammons Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
      • Sammons Point has also been known as:
      • Sammons Point village
    • Otto
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Otto is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
    • Saint Anne
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Chatsworth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Charlotte
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
    • Cullom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Strawn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Forrest
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Vermilion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Rankin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • East Lynn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Hoopeston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Coalton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Coalton is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
    • Rossville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Armstrong
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Potomac
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Henning
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Alvin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Collison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bismarck
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Newtown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Newtown is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
  • Benton County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Ambia
      (19 miles [30.6 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
    • Freeland Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Freeland Park is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland Park
    • Dunn ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Dunn is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
    • Raub
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Raub is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raub
    • Talbot
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Earl Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Earl Park is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
    • Boswell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Gravel Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Gravel Hill is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Hill
    • Fowler
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Fowler is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,305 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fowler <1>
  • Newton County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Kentland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Newton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Newton is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
  • Warren County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pitchin, with the one closest to Pitchin listed first.
    • Pence
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Pence is located in Warren County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pence
    • Hedrick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hedrick is located in Warren County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
    • Brisco ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Brisco is located in Warren County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisco
    • Sloan ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Sloan is located in Warren County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan

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

Cemeteries Near Pitchin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pitchin.

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

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

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

  • Ash Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Cissna Park Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. John's Ash Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Schwer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Amity Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Apostolic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Rankin Union Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (161 more) ...
    • Old Milford Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Body Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Peter's Lutheran 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>

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

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

  • Cissna Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Claytonville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Goodwine
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodworth
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
  • Hickman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hickman is located in Iroquois County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
  • Schwer
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Schwer is located in Iroquois County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwer
  • Buckley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Rankin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Milford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Del Rey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
  • East Lynn
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Wellington
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Onarga
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarence
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Clarence is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
    • Crescent City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Pitchin ...

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 138 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pitchin.

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

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 either 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 Pitchin:

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 Pitchin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Pitchin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.