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 Rankin (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 Rankin. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Rankin is located in Vermilion 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 Vermilion County: Champaign, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Benton (IN), Vermillion (IN) & Warren (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Rankin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rankin:
- Vermilion County (The home county of Rankin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- East Lynn
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Armstrong
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Hoopeston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Potomac
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rossville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Henning
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Coalton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Coalton is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
- Collison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Alvin
(18 miles [29 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>
- Bismarck
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Newtown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Newtown is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Belgium Row
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Belgium Row is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgium Row
- Glenburn
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Glenburn is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenburn
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Penfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gifford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ludlow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Flatville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Flatville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
- Rantoul
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Royal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Prospect
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Prospect is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Thomasboro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Dewey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ogden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Saint Joseph
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Fisher
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mayview
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mayview is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
- Ford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Paxton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Roberts
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Elliott
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Melvin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Piper City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Garber
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Gibson City
(25 miles [40.2 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>
- Sibley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Proctor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Iroquois County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Cissna Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Claytonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Goodwine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Loda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Buckley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wellington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Woodworth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Schwer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Schwer is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schwer
- Milford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Del Rey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
- Onarga
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Thawville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgeville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Chatsworth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Strawn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Benton County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin 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
- Dunn ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Dunn is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Talbot
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Freeland Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Freeland Park is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland Park
- Boswell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Raub
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Raub is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raub
- Earl Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Earl Park is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
- Gravel Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gravel Hill is located in Benton County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Hill
- Warren County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Pence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Pence is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pence
- Hedrick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hedrick is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedrick
- Sloan ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sloan is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
- State Line City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- State Line City is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- State Line
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- State Line is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Brisco ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Brisco is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisco
- West Lebanon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- West Lebanon is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lebanon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 686 people
- Old Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Old Town is located in Warren County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rankin, see our County-by-County Page for Rankin.
Cemeteries Near Rankin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rankin.
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 Rankin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rankin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Rankin Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin Union Cemetery
- The Rankin Union Cemetery has also been known as:
- Karter Cemetery
- Rankin Cemetery
- Union Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960194 <2>
- Pellville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- East Lynn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Old Apostolic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Patton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Trickle Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chenoweth Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tomlinson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomlinson Cemetery
- The Tomlinson Cemetery has also been known as:
- Tomlinson Pioneer Cemetery
- Harwood Chapel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood Chapel Cemetery
- The Harwood Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Webber Cemetery
- Huffman Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (218 more) ...
- Wallace Chapel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace Chapel Cemetery
- The Wallace Chapel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Judy Cemetery
- Ingersoll Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Prairie Chapel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rankin had a population of 314 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Rankin had a population of 507 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rankin, with the one closest to Rankin listed first.
- Clarence
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Clarence is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
- East Lynn
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cissna Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Blue Grass ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Grass is located in Vermilion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Grass
- Claytonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hickman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hickman is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- Goodwine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Armstrong
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Loda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Paxton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Penfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Buckley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Gifford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Potomac
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hoopeston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rankin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rankin.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rankin ...
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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rankin.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rankin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rankin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rankin.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Rankin.
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 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 Rankin:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Vermilion County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Champaign County
- Ford County
- Iroquois County
- Livingston County
- Benton County
- Warren 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> | 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 Rankin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rankin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |