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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 Prairie Ponds (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 Prairie Ponds. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Prairie Ponds is located in Will 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 Will County: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall & Lake (IN).

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

  • Will County     (The home county of Prairie Ponds)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Normantown
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Normantown is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normantown
    • Plainfield
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Walker
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Walker is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
    • Summerfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Summerfield is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
    • Crystal Lawns
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Crystal Lawns is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lawns
    • Romeoville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Shorewood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Bloomfield Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
    • Bolingbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Crest Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lockport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Colonial Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Colonial Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Lemont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Burr Ridge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Orland Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Palos Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Indian Head Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Indian Head Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,680 people
    • Orland Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Palos Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Countryside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hodgkins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Western Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hickory Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Sandwich
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Hinckley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Franks
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Franks is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
    • Somonauk
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Waterman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Cortland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Eola
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Naperville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Warrenville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Woodridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Tedens ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Tedens is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
    • Lisle
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lisle is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisle <1>
    • Darien
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • West Chicago
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • West Chicago is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Chicago
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,593 people
    • Winfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Downers Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Westmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wheaton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Minooka
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Channahon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Sand Ridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
    • Morris
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Claypool
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Claypool is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
    • Gaslight Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
    • Nettle Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Nettle Creek is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettle Creek
    • Carbon Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Coal City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Diamond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Centerville ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Centerville is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
    • Central City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Central City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Aurora
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • North Aurora
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • North Aurora is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Aurora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
    • Mooseheart
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Sugar Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Batavia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Geneva
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Big Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Charles
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Kaneville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bonnie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Bonnie is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnie
      • Bonnie has also been known as:
      • Bonnie Valley
    • Elburn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Campton Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Campton Hills is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campton Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,063 people
      • Campton Hills has also been known as:
      • Campton Hills village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campton Hills <1>
  • Kendall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Boulder Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
    • Oswego
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Montgomery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bristol
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Plattville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Plattville is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Yorkville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Plano
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Plano is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <1>
    • Lisbon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lisbon is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
    • Millbrook
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Little Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Little Rock is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock
    • Newark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • La Salle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prairie Ponds, with the one closest to Prairie Ponds listed first.
    • Millington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Sheridan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Stavanger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Stavanger is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stavanger
    • Serena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Leland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Blakes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Blakes is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
    • Seneca
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Seneca is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,217 people
      • Seneca has also been known as:
      • Crotty
      • Seneca village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seneca <1>
    • Baker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Baker is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
    • Wedron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Prairie Ponds ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Prairie Ponds.

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 Prairie Ponds - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Wheatland Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wheatland Presbyterian Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the northwest of Plainfield.
    • The Wheatland Presbyterian Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Scotch Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960758 <3>
  • St. Mary Immaculate Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Risen Lord Catholic Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Plainfield Twp. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield Twp. Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Plainfield Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Plainfield.
    • The Plainfield Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Plainfield Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #244792 <3>
  • Oswego Prairie Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Vermont Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermont Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Vermont Cemetery is located outside of Naperville
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108683 <3>
  • Lincoln Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Wheatland Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland Twp. Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wheatland Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside of Naperville
    • The Wheatland Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Wheatland Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108827 <3>
  • Pearce Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (382 more) ...
    • NaAuSay Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Oswego Twp. Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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 Prairie Ponds in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Prairie Ponds.

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

  • Plainfield
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Normantown
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Normantown is located in Will County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normantown
  • Walker
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Walker is located in Will County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
  • Caton Farm
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Caton Farm is located in Will County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caton Farm
  • Coynes
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Coynes is located in Will County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coynes
  • Oswego
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Frontenac
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Frontenac is located in DuPage County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frontenac
  • Montgomery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Aurora
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Romeo
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Romeo is located in Will County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
  • Eola
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Bristol
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Plattville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Plattville is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Lockport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Naperville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Prairie Ponds ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Prairie Ponds.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Prairie Ponds, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Prairie Ponds.

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 helpful 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 Prairie Ponds:

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Prairie Ponds) 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 Prairie Ponds, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.