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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Sanfordville. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Sanfordville to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Sanfordville, please Contact Us.

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 Sanfordville (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 Sanfordville. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Sanfordville is historic, it would have been located within present day Whiteside 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 Whiteside County: Clinton (IA), Bureau, Carroll, Henry, Lee, Ogle & Rock Island.

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

  • Whiteside County     (The home county of Sanfordville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Penrose
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
    • Coleta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Rock Falls
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sterling
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Galt
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Malvern
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
    • White Pigeon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • White Pigeon is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Pigeon
    • Morrison
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Lyndon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Spring Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Spring Valley is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
    • Tampico
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Union Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Union Grove is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Walnut
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Ohio
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Yorktown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Yorktown is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • New Bedford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Van Orin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Kasbeer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Hazelhurst
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
    • South Elkhorn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
    • Elkhorn Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
    • Hitt
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hitt is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
    • Milledgeville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Chadwick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lanark
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Fair Haven
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Fair Haven is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Haven
    • Shannon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Georgetown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Georgetown is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
    • Daggett ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Daggett is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daggett
    • Ideal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Ideal is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ideal
  • Jo Daviess County
    • Pleasant Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Valley is located in Jo Daviess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Prairieville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Prairieville is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
    • Nelson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Dixon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Harmon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Nachusa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Eldena
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Amboy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Lee Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Inlet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Sublette
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Woosung
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Buffalo Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
    • Polo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Brookville is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
    • Haldane
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Haldane is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haldane
    • Maryland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Maryland is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland
    • Mount Morris
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Forreston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Harper
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Harper is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
    • Carthage
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Carthage is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Oregon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Adeline
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Adeline is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adeline
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
  • Stephenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Florence
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Florence is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • German Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Bolton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Bolton is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
    • Freeport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Loran
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Loran is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loran
    • Pearl City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Eleroy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Yellow Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Yellow Creek is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Creek
    • Salem
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Salem is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Kent
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedarville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Seward
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Alworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Alworth is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alworth
    • Pecatonica
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Winnebago
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Clinton County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sanfordville, with the one closest to Sanfordville listed first.
    • Elk River Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Elk River Junction is located in Clinton County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk River Junction
    • Clinton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Clinton is located in Clinton County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,039 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <2>
  • Jackson County (IA)
    • Sabula
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sabula is located in Jackson County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabula
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabula <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Sanfordville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sanfordville.

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 Sanfordville - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • East Jordan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Webster Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Penrose Friends Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Nichols Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Elkhorn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Reed Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Buffalo Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • South Elkhorn Methodist Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Maple Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Prairieville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Sugar Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Eagle Point Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (245 more) ...
    • St. Mary's Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairmount Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Knoll Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)

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.

While we didn't find Sanfordville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sanfordville.

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

  • Penrose
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
  • Hazelhurst
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
  • Woosung
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Polo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Eagle Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Eagle Point is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point
  • Prairieville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Prairieville is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
  • Elkhorn Grove
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
  • Hitt
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hitt is located in Carroll County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
  • Milledgeville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Coleta
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Brookville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Brookville is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
  • Stratford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Stratford is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Nelson
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Dixon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Haldane
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Haldane is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haldane

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

Newspapers Published in Sanfordville ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sanfordville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sanfordville, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sanfordville.

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 Sanfordville:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Sanfordville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Sanfordville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.