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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 Saybrook (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 Saybrook. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Saybrook is located in McLean 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 McLean County: Champaign, De Witt, Ford, Livingston, Logan, Piatt, Tazewell & Woodford.

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

  • McLean County     (The home county of Saybrook)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Arrowsmith
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Bellflower
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Glen Avon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Glen Avon is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
    • Laurette
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Laurette is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
    • Anchor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Kumler
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Kumler is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
    • Colfax
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellsworth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Cropsey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Cooksville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Le Roy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Merna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Brokaw
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Brokaw is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
  • Champaign County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Foosland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lotus
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Lotus is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
    • Fisher
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
    • Dewey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake of the Woods
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
    • Mahomet
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Prospect
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
    • Ludlow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Rantoul
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Thomasboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Seymour
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Bondville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Staley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Staley is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staley
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Watkins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
    • Farmer City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Parnell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Parnell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
    • Fullerton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
    • De Witt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • De Witt is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
    • Weldon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Birkbeck
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Birkbeck is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birkbeck
    • Lane
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wapella
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Clinton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Proctor
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Gibson City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • Garber
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Elliott
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Sibley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Melvin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Paxton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Roberts
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Piper City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Iroquois County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Loda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Loda is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <1>
    • Thawville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Buckley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Strawn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairbury
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Forrest
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Chatsworth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Avoca ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Avoca is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
    • McDowell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • McDowell is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
    • Wing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Wing is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
    • Charlotte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
  • Piatt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saybrook, with the one closest to Saybrook listed first.
    • Mansfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • De Land
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • White Heath
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Monticello
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Cisco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Woodford County
    • Kappa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Kappa is located in Woodford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kappa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people

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

Cemeteries Near Saybrook ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saybrook.

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

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

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

  • Old Township Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Township Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bellflower Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Payne Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Plymouth Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Drummer Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Arrowsmith Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Barnes Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (207 more) ...
    • Anchor Twp. Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Township Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Dawson Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)

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 Saybrook had a population of 851 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saybrook had a population of 679 people.

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

  • Harpster
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Harpster is located in Ford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpster
  • Arrowsmith
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Foosland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Proctor
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Proctor is located in Ford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
  • Laurette
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Laurette is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
  • Sabina
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Sabina is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabina
  • Gibson City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Kumler
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Kumler is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
  • Osman
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Osman is located in McLean County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osman
  • Dickerson
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dickerson is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickerson
  • Garber
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Garber is located in Ford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
  • Anchor
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Weedman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Weedman is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weedman
    • Colfax
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellsworth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Saybrook ...

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 109 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saybrook.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saybrook, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saybrook.

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 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 Saybrook:

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 Saybrook, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Saybrook) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.