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 Sibley (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 Sibley. 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 doctors and 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.
Sibley is located in Ford 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 Ford County: Champaign, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston, McLean & Vermilion.
Below are the counties that are near Sibley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sibley:
- Ford County (The home county of Sibley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Garber
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Melvin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gibson City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Roberts
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Elliott
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Proctor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Piper City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Paxton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kempton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cabery
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Foosland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Fisher
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Lotus
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Lotus is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lotus
- Dewey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Ludlow
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Prospect
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Prospect is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Rantoul
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Thomasboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lake of the Woods
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
- Gifford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mahomet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Flatville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Flatville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
- Penfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- De Witt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Watkins
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Watkins is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
- Farmer City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Parnell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Parnell is located in De Witt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
- Iroquois County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Thawville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Loda
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Buckley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Ridgeville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Del Rey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
- La Hogue
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
- Onarga
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gilman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Cissna Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Danforth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Woodworth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Woodworth is located in Iroquois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Claytonville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Ashkum
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Strawn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Forrest
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Chatsworth
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Fairbury
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Charlotte
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Charlotte is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
- Wing
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Wing is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
- Avoca ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Avoca is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- McDowell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- McDowell is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDowell
- Cullom
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Saunemin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Eylar
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Eylar is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
- Griswold
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Griswold is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
- Swygert
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Swygert is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swygert
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Cropsey
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Anchor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Colfax
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Saybrook
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Weston
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Weston is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Arrowsmith
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bellflower
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Cooksville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Chenoa
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ellsworth
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Glen Avon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Glen Avon is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
- Laurette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Laurette is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
- Lexington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Piatt County
- Mansfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Vermilion County
- Rankin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sibley, see our County-by-County Page for Sibley.
Cemeteries Near Sibley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sibley.
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 Sibley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sibley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Strawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cropsey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Melvin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Anchor Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Township Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Germanville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- South Apostolic Christian Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Drummer Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Spence Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Continue List (166 more) ...
- Oregon Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Five Mile Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Forrest Twp. Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
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 Sibley had a population of 404 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sibley had a population of 251 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sibley, with the one closest to Sibley listed first.
- Strawn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Risk
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Risk is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Risk
- Garber
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Garber is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
- Cropsey
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Guthrie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Guthrie is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guthrie
- Melvin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gibson City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Anchor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Elliott
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Roberts
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Chatsworth
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Colfax
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Saybrook
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Harpster
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Harpster is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpster
- Proctor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Proctor is located in Ford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sibley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sibley.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sibley ...
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 200 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sibley.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sibley. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sibley and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sibley.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Sibley.
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 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 Sibley:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Ford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Champaign County
- De Witt County
- Iroquois County
- Livingston County
- McLean County
- Piatt County
- Vermilion 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 Sibley, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sibley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |