Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Silver Lake. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Silver Lake to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Silver Lake, 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 Silver Lake (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 Silver Lake. 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.
Name Variations for Silver Lake ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Silver Lake: Silver Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Silver Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Silver Lake.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Silver Lake is historic, it would have been located within present day Henderson 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 Henderson County: Des Moines (IA), Lee (IA), Hancock, McDonough, Mercer & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Silver Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Silver Lake:
- Henderson County (The home county of Silver Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Carman
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Gulf Port
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Gulf Port is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulf Port
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
- Iowa Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
- Lomax
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Olena
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Olena is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
- Stronghurst
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gladstone
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Terre Haute
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
- Media
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Media is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Media
- Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
- Biggsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Biggsville is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Raritan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Raritan is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raritan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Oquawka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Rozetta
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rozetta is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozetta
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Disco
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Disco is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Disco
- Dallas City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pontoosuc
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pontoosuc is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontoosuc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- La Harpe
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- La Harpe is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Harpe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,123 people
- Colusa
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Niota
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Adrian
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Burnside
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Burnside is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Powellton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Powellton is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
- Fountain Green
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Fountain Green is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Green
- Ferris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Nauvoo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Joetta
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Joetta is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joetta
- McDonough County
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Blandinsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sciota
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- VIshnu Springs ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- VIshnu Springs is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for VIshnu Springs
- Good Hope
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Colchester
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lamone Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lamone Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamone Village
- Tennessee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Macomb
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- University Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- University Village is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Village
- Colmar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Colmar is located in McDonough County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colmar
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Keithsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Seaton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- New Boston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sunbeam
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sunbeam is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunbeam
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Smithshire
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Kirkwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Roseville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Little York
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Youngstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Youngstown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
- Eleanor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Eleanor is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleanor
- Monmouth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Berwick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gerlaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cameron
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Des Moines County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Burlington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Patterson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- West Burlington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Middletown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Middletown is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Dodgeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Dodgeville is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Kline
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kline is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Kingston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Kingston is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Sperry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Sperry is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sperry
- Danville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Danville is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 896 people
- Mediapolis
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Yarmouth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Henry County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Lowell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Lowell is located in Henry County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- New London
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Union
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Union is located in Henry County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Estimated population in 2017: 107 people
- Mount Pleasant
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Wever
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- South Augusta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- South Augusta is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Augusta
- Denmark
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Sawyer
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sawyer is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Former names for Sawyer:
- Atlee
- Edwards
- Fort Madison
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- West Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Jeffersonville ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jeffersonville is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonville
- Saint Paul
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Saint Paul is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Paul
- Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
- Galland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Galland is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galland
- Montrose
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Franklin is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
- Pilot Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pilot Grove is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Grove
- Sandusky
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sandusky is located in Lee County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- Louisa County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Elrick Junction
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Elrick Junction is located in Louisa County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrick Junction
- Oakville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Morning Sun
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wapello
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Wapello is located in Louisa County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapello
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,999 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Silver Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Silver Lake.
Cemeteries Near Silver Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Silver Lake.
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 Silver Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Silver Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Carman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Cowles Farm Plot
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Prugh Farm Plot
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Sourwine Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Talbert Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Clover Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hopper Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chandler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Freeland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Freeland Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northeast of Lomax.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105740 <4>
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- North Sixth Street Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (387 more) ...
- Sixth Street Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Burlington RC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.
While we didn't find Silver Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Silver Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Silver Lake, with the one closest to Silver Lake listed first.
- Carman
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Burlington
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Patterson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Lomax
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Iowa Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Iowa Junction is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa Junction
- Decorra
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Decorra is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decorra
- Olena
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Olena is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olena
- West Burlington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Terre Haute
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Terre Haute is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Haute
- Stronghurst
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gladstone
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Wever
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Dallas City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Latty
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Latty is located in Des Moines County (IA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latty
- Disco
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Disco is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Disco
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Silver Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Silver Lake.
Newspapers Published in Silver Lake ...
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 77 newspapers that have been published in the area around Silver Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Silver Lake, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Silver Lake.
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 Silver Lake:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Henderson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Hancock County
- McDonough County
- Mercer County
- Warren County
- Des Moines County
- Henry County
- Lee County
- Louisa County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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 Silver Lake, 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 from Point A (ie- Silver Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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. |