RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Winnebago County >> Rockton >> 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 Rockton (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 Rockton. 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.

Rockton is located in Winnebago 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 Winnebago County: Boone, DeKalb, Ogle, Stephenson, Green (WI) & Rock (WI).

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

  • Winnebago County     (The home county of Rockton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • South Beloit
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Beloit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Beloit
      • South Beloit is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,540 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Beloit <2>
    • Roscoe
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roscoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
      • Roscoe is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roscoe
      • From Rockton to Roscoe
    • Machesney Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Machesney Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machesney Park
      • Machesney Park is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Machesney Park <2>
    • Shirland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shirland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirland
      • Shirland is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shirland <2>
    • Sturbridge Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sturbridge Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge Village
      • Sturbridge Village is located in Winnebago County
    • Argyle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
      • Argyle is located in Winnebago County
    • Loves Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loves Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Park
      • Loves Park is located in Winnebago County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loves Park <2>
    • Wempletown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wempletown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
      • Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wempletown
      • From Rockton to Wempletown
    • Rockford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Durand
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Indian Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
    • Winnebago
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Caledonia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Timberlane
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timberlane have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
      • Timberlane is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
    • Poplar Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Capron
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Capron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capron
      • Capron is located in Boone County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,343 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capron <2>
    • Belvidere
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Russellville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Irene
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Irene. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
      • Irene is located in Boone County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Irene
      • From Rockton to Irene
    • Garden Prairie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Herbert
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herbert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
      • Herbert is located in Boone County
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Fairdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
      • Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
    • Kirkland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
      • Kirkland is located in DeKalb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,717 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kirkland <2>
    • Esmond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Esmond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmond
      • Esmond is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Esmond <2>
    • Kingston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Kingston is located in DeKalb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingston <2>
  • McHenry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Harvard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard
      • Harvard is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,979 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvard <2>
    • Big Foot Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Marengo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marengo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marengo
      • Marengo is located in McHenry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marengo <2>
    • Alden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Ogle County
  • Stephenson County
  • Dane County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Albion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Hanerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hanerville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanerville
      • Hanerville is located in Dane County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hanerville
      • From Rockton to Hanerville
    • Dunkirk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Green County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Brodhead
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brodhead have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodhead
      • Brodhead is located in Green County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
    • Twin Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Twin Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Grove
      • Twin Grove is located in Green County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Twin Grove
      • From Rockton to Twin Grove
    • Albany
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
      • Albany is located in Green County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 977 people
    • Mineral Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Point
      • Mineral Point is located in Green County (WI)
    • Attica
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Monroe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Green County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,426 people
  • Jefferson County (WI)
  • Rock County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Beloit
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Garden Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
      • Garden Village is located in Rock County (WI)
    • Newark
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newark. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Newark is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newark
      • From Rockton to Newark
    • Shopiere
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Tiffany
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tiffany. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiffany
      • Tiffany is located in Rock County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tiffany
      • From Rockton to Tiffany
    • Clinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hanover
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Avon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Janesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Orfordville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Avalon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Emerald Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Footville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Walworth County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockton, with the one closest to Rockton listed first.
    • Sharon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
    • Allens Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Darien
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Big Foot Prairie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Delavan Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delavan Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan Lake
      • Delavan Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
    • Walworth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walworth
      • Walworth is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
    • Richmond
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Delavan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fontana-on-Geneva Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
      • Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,743 people
    • Williams Bay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lake Como
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Elkhorn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Heart Prairie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Rockton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockton.

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

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rockton had a population of 892 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Rockton had a population of 7,477 people.

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

  • Roscoe
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roscoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
    • Roscoe is located in Winnebago County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,406 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscoe <2>
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Roscoe
    • From Rockton to Roscoe
  • Beloit
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Harrison
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
    • Harrison is located in Winnebago County
  • Shirland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shirland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirland
    • Shirland is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shirland <2>
  • Genet
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genet
    • Genet is located in Winnebago County
  • Porters
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porters have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porters
    • Porters is located in Rock County (WI)
  • Harlem
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harlem have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlem
    • Harlem is located in Winnebago County
  • Jonesville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
    • Jonesville is located in Winnebago County
  • Ruby
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
    • Ruby is located in Winnebago County
  • Argyle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
    • Argyle is located in Winnebago County
  • Newark
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newark. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
    • Newark is located in Rock County (WI)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Newark
    • From Rockton to Newark
  • Wempletown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wempletown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
    • Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wempletown
    • From Rockton to Wempletown
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Caledonia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hunter
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
      • Hunter is located in Boone County
    • Shopiere
      (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 Rockton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rockton.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rockton ...

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 111 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rockton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rockton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rockton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6> of Rockton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Rockton:

The official website for Rockton: www.rockton.ws/

The official website for Winnebago County: www.co.winnebago.il.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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.
<5>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 Rockton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rockton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rockton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4555, Longitude: -89.0725    









 

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: 28 Apr 2025