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 Solon Mills (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 Solon Mills. 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 Solon Mills ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Solon Mills: Solon Mls. (or less commonly used: Solon Mlls.)
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 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.
Solon Mills is located in McHenry 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 McHenry County: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, Kane, Lake, Kenosha (WI) & Walworth (WI).
Below are the counties that are near Solon Mills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Solon Mills:
- McHenry County (The home county of Solon Mills)
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Spring Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Richmond
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ringwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Johnsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Pistakee Highlands
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pistakee Highlands is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pistakee Highlands
- Sunnyside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sunnyside is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- McCullom Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- McCullom Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullom Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
- Wonder Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Wonder Lake is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonder Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,837 people
- Wonder Lake has also been known as:
- Wonder Lake village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wonder Lake <1>
- Greenwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood is located in McHenry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- McHenry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Lakemoor
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Capron
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Garden Prairie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Russellville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Russellville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Poplar Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Cook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Barrington Hills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Barrington Hills is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
- Barrington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Inverness
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Capri Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Capri Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capri Village
- South Barrington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- South Barrington is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,976 people
- Palatine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hoffman Estates
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Plum Grove Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Plum Grove Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Grove Village
- Wheeling
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Winthrop Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Winthrop Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winthrop Village
- Arlington Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfax Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfax Village is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax Village
- DeKalb County
- New Lebanon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Lebanon is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lebanon
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Carpentersville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Freeman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Freeman is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- East Dundee
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Gilberts
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- West Dundee
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Sleepy Hollow
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pingree Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Hampshire
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Starks
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Starks is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starks
- Elgin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- North Plato
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- North Plato is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Plato
- Plato Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Fox Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Channel Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Channel Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channel Lake
- Fox Lake Hills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Fox Lake Hills is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Lake Hills
- Lake Catherine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lake Catherine is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
- Monaville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Monaville is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaville
- Ingleside
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Long Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Long Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
- Round Lake Heights
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Volo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Antioch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Lake Villa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Lake Villa is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Villa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,525 people
- Round Lake Beach
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kenosha County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Twin Lakes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,234 people
- Powers Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Powers Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers Lake
- Slades Corners
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Slades Corners is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slades Corners
- Camp Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
- Fox River
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fox River is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River
- Benet Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Benet Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benet Lake
- Lake Shangrila
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Shangrila is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shangrila
- Salem Lakes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Salem Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Lakes
- Former names for Salem Lakes:
- Salem
- Silver Lake
- Paddock Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Paddock Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,232 people
- Bristol
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bristol is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,145 people
- Brighton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Brighton is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Woodworth
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Woodworth is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Milwaukee County (WI)
- Union Church
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Union Church is located in Milwaukee County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Church
- Racine County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Bohners Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bohners Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
- Burlington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Burlington is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
- Browns Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Browns Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
- Eagle Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Eagle Lake is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
- Rochester
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Rochester is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,880 people
- Union Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Union Grove is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
- Honey Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Honey Creek is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
- Waterford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Waterford is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
- Yorkville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Yorkville is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
- Sturtevant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sturtevant is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturtevant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,637 people
- Caldwell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Caldwell is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Mount Pleasant
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Racine County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,048 people
- Walworth County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Genoa City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Genoa City is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,981 people
- Pell Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pell Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pell Lake
- Zenda
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Zenda is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenda
- Lake Geneva
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Geneva is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Geneva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,096 people
- Lyons
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Lyons is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
- Como
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
- Lake Como Beach ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Como Beach is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como Beach
- Lake Como
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Como is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Como
- Springfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Springfield is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Voree ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Voree is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voree
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana-on-Geneva Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,743 people
- Williams Bay
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Williams Bay is located in Walworth County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,657 people
- Waukesha County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Eagleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Eagleville is located in Waukesha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleville
- Mukwonago
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mukwonago is located in Waukesha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mukwonago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,107 people
- Big Bend
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Big Bend is located in Waukesha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Solon Mills, see our County-by-County Page for Solon Mills.
Cemeteries Near Solon Mills ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Solon Mills.
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 Solon Mills - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Solon Mills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Cedarvale Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Solon Mills Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Sprind Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- St. Peters Catholic Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Wray - Imeson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Washington Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Carr - Harrison Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ringwood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cole Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Orvis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- English Prairie Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (282 more) ...
- Richmond Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Christ The King Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hillside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Solon Mills had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Solon Mills, with the one closest to Solon Mills listed first.
- Spring Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Richmond
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ringwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Johnsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fox Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Twin Lakes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,234 people
- McHenry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Grass Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Grass Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Lake
- Bassett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Bassett is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassett
- Hebron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Volo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Loon Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Loon Lake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loon Lake
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Camp Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
- Fox River
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fox River is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River
- New Munster
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- New Munster is located in Kenosha County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Munster
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Solon Mills. See our List of 1890's Communities around Solon Mills.
Newspapers Published in Solon Mills ...
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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Solon Mills.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Solon Mills, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Solon Mills.
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 Solon Mills:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to McHenry County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cook County
- DeKalb County
- Kane County
- Lake County
- Kenosha County
- Milwaukee County
- Racine County
- Walworth County
- Waukesha 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Solon Mills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Solon Mills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |