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 Steele (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 Steele. 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 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.
Steele is located in Will 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 Will County: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall & Lake (IN).
Below are the counties that are near Steele. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Steele:
- Will County (The home county of Steele)
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- New Lenox
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Brisbane
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Brisbane is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbane
- Gilletts ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Gilletts is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
- Cherry Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cherry Hill is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Hill
- Mokena
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ingalls Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ingalls Park is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingalls Park
- Frankfort
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- East Joliet
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- East Joliet is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Joliet
- Manhattan
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Homer Glen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Homer Glen is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Glen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,281 people
- Homer Glen has also been known as:
- Homer Glen village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer Glen <1>
- Fairmont
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fairmont is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
- Joliet
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Preston Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Preston Heights is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston Heights
- Cook County
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Orland Hills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Orland Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tinley Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Matteson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Lemont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Country Club Hills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Oak Forest
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Palos Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Olympia Fields
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Richton Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Flossmoor
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Hazel Crest
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Midlothian
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- DuPage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Tedens ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Tedens is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
- Darien
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Woodridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Willowbrook
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Clarendon Hills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hinsdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Westmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Naperville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Downers Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Lisle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Oak Brook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Utopia
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Utopia is located in DuPage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
- Eola
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Grundy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Channahon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Minooka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Sand Ridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Sand Ridge is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Ridge
- Diamond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Carbon Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Coal City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Central City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Central City is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Claypool
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Claypool is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool
- Gaslight Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gaslight Village is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaslight Village
- Braceville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Morris
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- East Brooklyn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Brooklyn is located in Grundy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brooklyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Kane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Aurora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- North Aurora
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- North Aurora is located in Kane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Aurora
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
- Batavia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mooseheart
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kankakee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Manteno
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bourbonnais
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Saint George
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Saint George is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Bradley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Grant Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Grant Park is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
- Bonfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Essex
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Goodrich
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
- Kankakee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Limestone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Limestone is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
- Momence
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sherburnville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sherburnville is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherburnville
- Sun River Terrace
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sun River Terrace is located in Kankakee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun River Terrace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
- Kendall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Plattville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Plattville is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
- Oswego
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Boulder Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
- Montgomery
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lisbon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Lisbon is located in Kendall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 310 people
- Bristol
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Yorkville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lake County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Dyer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
- Munster
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Hammond
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Hartsdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
- Saint John
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hessville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
- Highland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Schererville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- East Chicago
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Griffith
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Whiting
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- New Elliott
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- New Elliott is located in Lake County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elliott
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Steele, see our County-by-County Page for Steele.
Cemeteries Near Steele ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Steele.
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 Steele - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Steele covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Maplewood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Marshall Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mound Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mound Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Joliet.
- The Mound Cemetery has also been known as:
- Rudd Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2339538 <2>
- St. Johns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Johns Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Johns Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Mokena.
- The St. Johns Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Johns United Church of Christ Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1987604 <2>
- Pioneer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marys Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Marys Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Mokena.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #209640 <2>
- Hadley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- St. Cyrils Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Cyril and Methodius Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Olivet Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Olivet Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Joliet.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107054 <2>
- St. Peter Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- St. Peters Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (371 more) ...
- Oakwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Oakwood Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Joliet.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #261051 <2>
- Elmhurst Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmhurst Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Elmhurst Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Joliet.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #105558 <2>
- North Providence Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Providence Ridge Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the North Providence Ridge Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the southeast of Joliet.
- The North Providence Ridge Cemetery has also been known as:
- North Ridge Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1035879 <2>
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, Steele had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Steele, with the one closest to Steele listed first.
- Brisbane
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Brisbane is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbane
- New Lenox
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Spencer
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Spencer is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Marley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Marley is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marley
- Mokena
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Manhattan
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- East Joliet
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- East Joliet is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Joliet
- Alpine
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alpine is located in Cook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
- Joliet
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lockport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Goodings Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Goodings Grove is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
- Wallingford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Wallingford is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallingford
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Tinley Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Romeo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Romeo is located in Will County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Steele. See our List of 1890's Communities around Steele.
Newspapers Published in Steele ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Steele.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Steele, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Steele.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Steele:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Will County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cook County
- DuPage County
- Grundy County
- Kane County
- Kankakee County
- Kendall County
- Lake 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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Steele) 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 Steele, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |