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 Rugby (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 Rugby. 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 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 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.
Rugby is located in Livingston 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 Livingston County: Ford, Grundy, Kankakee, La Salle, McLean & Woodford.
Below are the counties that are near Rugby. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rugby:
- Livingston County (The home county of Rugby)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Eylar
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Eylar is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
- Swygert
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Swygert is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swygert
- Saunemin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cayuga
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cayuga is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Odell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Griswold
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Griswold is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
- Emington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Avoca ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Avoca is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Wing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Wing is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
- McDowell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- McDowell is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
- Pontiac
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Cullom
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Kempton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Cabery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Piper City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sibley
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Melvin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Roberts
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Garber
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Highland Town ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Highland Town is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
- Kinsman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Verona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Clarke City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clarke City is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarke City
- East Brooklyn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- East Brooklyn is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brooklyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Gardner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- South Wilmington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- South Wilmington is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wilmington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
- Mazon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Braceville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Central City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Central City is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Wauponsee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Wauponsee is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauponsee
- Centerville ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Centerville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Iroquois County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- La Hogue
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
- Ridgeville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Thawville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Danforth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gilman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ashkum
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Onarga
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Del Rey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
- Chebanse
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Kankakee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Reddick
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Buckingham
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Herscher
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Union Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Essex
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Goodrich
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
- Bonfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Irwin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Irwin is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- La Salle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Ransom
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Kernan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kernan is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kernan
- Streator
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Dana
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kangley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kangley is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kangley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Marseilles
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Seneca
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- 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>
- Leeds
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Leeds is located in La Salle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
- Grand Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rutland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Marshall County
- Wenona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Weston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Weston is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Chenoa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Meadows
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Meadows is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Cropsey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Anchor
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Gridley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Colfax
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Lexington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cooksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Will County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Godley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Godley is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
- Braidwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Custer Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Custer Park is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer Park
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Minonk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Woodford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Woodford is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
- Panola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Panola is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51 people
- El Paso
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rugby, see our County-by-County Page for Rugby.
Cemeteries Near Rugby ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rugby.
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 Rugby - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rugby covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Swygert Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Sunny Slope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Saunemin Five Mile Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Houder Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Patty Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pontiac City Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac City Cemetery
- The Pontiac City Cemetery has also been known as:
- Pontiac Southside Cemetery
- South Side Cemetery
- Southside Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #288460 <2>
- St. Paul Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- St. Paul's Catholic Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- East Side Cemetery of Odell Township
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (178 more) ...
- Odell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Union Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Odell.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #108635 <2>
- Avoca Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
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 Rugby had a population of 50 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rugby, with the one closest to Rugby listed first.
- Eylar
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Eylar is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
- Swygert
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Swygert is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swygert
- Saunemin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Scovel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Scovel is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scovel
- Cayuga
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cayuga is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayuga
- Odell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- McDowell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- McDowell is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
- Griswold
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Griswold is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
- Emington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pontiac
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lodemia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lodemia is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodemia
- Rowe
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Rowe is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Rooks Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Rooks Creek is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rooks Creek
- Fairbury
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Cullom
(11 miles [17.7 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 Rugby. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rugby.
Newspapers Published in Rugby ...
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 199 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rugby.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rugby, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rugby.
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 Rugby:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Livingston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ford County
- Grundy County
- Iroquois County
- Kankakee County
- La Salle County
- Marshall County
- McLean County
- Will County
- Woodford 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rugby) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Rugby, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |