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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 Skokie (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 Skokie. 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 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 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.

Skokie is located in Cook 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 Cook County: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Lake (IN) & Berrien (MI).

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

  • Cook County     (The home county of Skokie)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Skokie, with the one closest to Skokie listed first.
    • Evanston
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Wilmette
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Golf
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lincolnwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Morton Grove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • South Evanston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • South Evanston is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Evanston
    • Kenilworth
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Niles
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Birchwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Birchwood is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
    • Albany Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Albany Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany Park
    • Jefferson Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
    • Bowmanville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bowmanville is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Skokie, with the one closest to Skokie listed first.
    • Bensenville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wood Dale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Elmhurst
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • South Elmhurst
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
    • Itasca
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Addison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Villa Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Villa Park is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,291 people
    • Medinah
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Brook Terrace is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook Terrace
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
    • Oak Brook
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Utopia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
    • Roselle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Skokie, with the one closest to Skokie listed first.
    • East Dundee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Elgin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Carpentersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Coleman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Coleman is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Sleepy Hollow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • South Elgin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • South Elgin is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people
    • Geneva
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Saint Charles
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Skokie, with the one closest to Skokie listed first.
    • Braeside
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Braeside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
    • Ravinia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Ravinia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
    • Highland Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Deerfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Highwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Bannockburn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Riverwoods
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Aptakisic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Aptakisic is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aptakisic
    • Lincolnshire
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Prairie View
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Prairie View is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie View
    • Lake Forest
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • McHenry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Skokie, with the one closest to Skokie listed first.
    • Fox River Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cary
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cary is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,929 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cary <1>
    • Island Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Island Lake is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,951 people
    • Trout Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Trout Valley is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Valley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
    • Oakwood Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Oakwood Hills is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,011 people
    • Algonquin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Holiday Hills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Holiday Hills is located in McHenry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 574 people
    • Lake-in-the-Hills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Skokie, with the one closest to Skokie listed first.
    • Winston Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Winston Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
    • Bolingbrook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Colonial Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Goodings Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
    • Bloomfield Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
  • Lake County (IN)
    • Whiting
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Skokie ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Skokie.

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

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

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

  • St. Peter Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Memorial Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Pauls Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Peters Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • New Light Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Dewes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery
    • The St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Bohemian Cemetery
    • Old Polish Cemetery
    • St. Adalbert Cemetery
    • St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107817 <2>
  • Norwood Park Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Montrose Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Ridge Lawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bohemian National Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohemian National Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Bohemian National Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Albany Park.
    • The Bohemian National Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Bohemian National Cemetery of Chicago
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #216236 <2>
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Chicago.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Calvary Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105009 <2>
  • Continue List   (267 more) ...
    • St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Wilmette.
      • The St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Gross Point Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2188989 <2>
    • St. Joseph Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • St. Matthews Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 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.<3>

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

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

  • Evanston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • North Evanston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • North Evanston is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Evanston
  • Wilmette
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Morton Grove
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Niles
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • South Evanston
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • South Evanston is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Evanston
  • Kenilworth
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jefferson Park is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
  • Mayfair
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Mayfair is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfair
  • Bowmanville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Bowmanville is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmanville
  • Rogers Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Rogers Park is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Park
  • Birchwood
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Birchwood is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Lakeview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Lakeview is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Park Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Grayland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Grayland is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayland

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Skokie ...

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 157 newspapers that have been published in the area around Skokie.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Skokie. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Skokie and those printed in the larger area surrounding Skokie.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4> of Skokie.

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 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 Skokie:

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 Skokie, 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- Skokie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.