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 River Grove (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 River Grove. 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.
Name Variations for River Grove ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for River Grove: River Grv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named River Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for River Grove.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
River Grove is located in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County: Boone, DeKalb, Ogle, Stephenson, Green (WI) & Rock (WI).
Below are the counties that are near River Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to River Grove:
- Winnebago County (The home county of River Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- North Park
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- North Park is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Park
- New Millford
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- New Millford is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
- Indian Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Cherry Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rockford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Loves Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Machesney Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Sturbridge Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Sturbridge Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge Village
- Winnebago
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Alworth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Alworth is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alworth
- Argyle
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Argyle is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Wempletown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
- Roscoe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Irene
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Irene is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
- Belvidere
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Herbert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Herbert is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
- Timberlane
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Timberlane is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
- Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
- Caledonia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Garden Prairie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Poplar Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Russellville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Russellville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Capron
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Fairdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Kirkland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Esmond
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kingston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clare
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Genoa
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Brush Point ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Brush Point is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Point
- Malta
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Coltonville ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Coltonville is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltonville
- Charter Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Charter Grove is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Grove
- New Lebanon
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- New Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
- De Kalb
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Sycamore is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,317 people
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Burlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hampshire
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Starks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Starks is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- Maple Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Virgil
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Steward
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Ashton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Lee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Franklin Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Nachusa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- McHenry County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Marengo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Harvard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Big Foot Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
- Ogle County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Monroe Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Davis Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Holcomb
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lindenwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Stillman Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Byron
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hillcrest
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
- Flagg Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
- Chana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Creston
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Rochelle
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Honey Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
- Egan
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Egan is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
- Stephenson County
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- German Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Ridott
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Davis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rock City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rock City is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
- Dakota
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Grove is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Grove
- Freeport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Rock County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Beloit
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Beloit is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beloit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36,637 people
- Garden Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Garden Village is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Newark
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Newark is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Clinton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Clinton is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,119 people
- Shopiere
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Shopiere is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopiere
- Tiffany
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Tiffany is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiffany
- Avon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Avon is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Walworth County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- Sharon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Allens Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Allens Grove is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Grove
- Big Foot Prairie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Big Foot Prairie is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Foot Prairie
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to River Grove, see our County-by-County Page for River Grove.
Cemeteries Near River Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of River Grove.
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 River Grove - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for River Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- New Milford Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Starkey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Kilbuck Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Carman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Arlington Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Guilford Turner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cedar Bluff Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kishwaukee Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Scandinavian Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- St. James & St. Marys Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Monroe Center Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mt. Auburn Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (245 more) ...
- Greenwood Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Roseland Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Flora Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
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 River Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of River Grove.
These communities are listed based on their distance from River Grove, with the one closest to River Grove listed first.
- New Millford
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- New Millford is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
- Greendale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greendale is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
- Perryville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Perryville is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perryville
- Kishwaukee
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kishwaukee is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kishwaukee
- Rockford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Cherry Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Monroe Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Irene
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Irene is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
- Ruby
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ruby is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
- Jonesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jonesville is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
- Stillman Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Holcomb
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lindenwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Harlem
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Harlem is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around River Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around River Grove.
Newspapers Published in River Grove ...
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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around River Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of River Grove, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for River Grove.
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 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 River Grove:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Winnebago County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- DeKalb County
- Kane County
- Lee County
- McHenry County
- Ogle County
- Stephenson County
- Rock County
- Walworth 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 River Grove, 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' (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- River Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |