RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Ogle County >> Polo >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Illinois

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 Polo (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 Polo. 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 and hospitals 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.

Polo is located in Ogle County.

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 Ogle County: Carroll, DeKalb, Lee, Stephenson, Whiteside & Winnebago.

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

  • Ogle County     (The home county of Polo)
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Walnut
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Ohio
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ohio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohio
      • Ohio is located in Bureau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 475 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ohio <1>
  • Carroll County
  • Jo Daviess County
    • Pleasant Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Prairieville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
      • Prairieville is located in Lee County
    • Dixon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Nelson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Nelson is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nelson <1>
    • Nachusa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nachusa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nachusa
      • Nachusa is located in Lee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nachusa <1>
    • Eldena
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldena
      • Eldena is located in Lee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldena <1>
    • Franklin Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Grove
      • Franklin Grove is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 919 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin Grove <1>
    • Harmon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon
      • Harmon is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmon <1>
    • Amboy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amboy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amboy
      • Amboy is located in Lee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,287 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Amboy <1>
    • Ashton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lee Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Center
      • Lee Center is located in Lee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lee Center <1>
    • Inlet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Inlet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Inlet
      • From Polo to Inlet
    • Sublette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 <1>
  • Stephenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Florence
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Stephenson County
    • German Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Bolton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bolton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
      • Bolton is located in Stephenson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bolton
      • From Polo to Bolton
    • Freeport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Stephenson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,447 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <1>
    • Ridott
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridott
      • Ridott is located in Stephenson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridott <1>
    • Pearl City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Loran
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Eleroy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cedarville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Salem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in Stephenson County
    • Yellow Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dakota
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Penrose
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Coleta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coleta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleta
      • Coleta is located in Whiteside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coleta <1>
    • Sterling
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Rock Falls
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Galt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galt
      • Galt is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galt <1>
    • White Pigeon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for White Pigeon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Pigeon
      • White Pigeon is located in Whiteside County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to White Pigeon
      • From Polo to White Pigeon
    • Malvern
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Malvern. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Malvern
      • From Polo to Malvern
    • Morrison
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morrison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
      • Morrison is located in Whiteside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,950 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morrison <1>
    • Spring Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Lyndon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lyndon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyndon
      • Lyndon is located in Whiteside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 604 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyndon <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lyndon
      • From Polo to Lyndon
    • Union Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Deer Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Grove
      • Deer Grove is located in Whiteside County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deer Grove <1>
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polo, with the one closest to Polo listed first.
    • Seward
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seward <1>
    • Alworth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Pecatonica
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pecatonica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecatonica
      • Pecatonica is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pecatonica <1>
    • Winnebago
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Indian Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
    • New Millford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Millford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
      • New Millford is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
  • Clinton County (IA)
    • Elk River Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk River Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk River Junction
      • Elk River Junction is located in Clinton County (IA)

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

Cemeteries Near Polo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Polo.

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 Polo covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Buffalo Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Mary's Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Reed Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reed Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairmount Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairmount Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairmount Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nichols Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • 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.
  • Elkhorn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elkhorn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elkhorn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Webster Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Webster Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Webster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Creek Christian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Creek Christian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Creek Christian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brethren Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brethren Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brethren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Branch Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Branch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Branch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Haldane Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haldane Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Haldane Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eagle Point Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eagle Point Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eagle Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (244 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Polo had a population of 1,728 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Polo had a population of 2,158 people.

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

  • Stratford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
    • Stratford is located in Ogle County
  • Hazelhurst
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Woosung
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Maryland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Haldane
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Eagle Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point
    • Eagle Point is located in Ogle County
  • Brookville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Penrose
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Mount Morris
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Elkhorn Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Hitt
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
    • Hitt is located in Carroll County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hitt
    • From Polo to Hitt
  • Forreston
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forreston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forreston
    • Forreston is located in Ogle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,338 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forreston <1>
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Prairieville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairieville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
      • Prairieville is located in Lee County
    • Dixon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Grand Detour
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Detour have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Detour
      • Grand Detour is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grand Detour <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Polo ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Polo.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Polo. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Polo and those printed in the larger area surrounding Polo.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<5> of Polo.

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 Polo:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Polo. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Ogle County: www.oglecounty.org/

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

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 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>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.
<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 Polo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Polo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Polo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9862, Longitude: -89.5789    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 13 Jul 2025