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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 Stelle (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 Stelle. 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 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.

Stelle 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 Stelle. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Stelle:

  • Ford County     (The home county of Stelle)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Cabery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kempton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Piper City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Roberts
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Melvin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Sibley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Clarke City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Clarke City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarke City
    • East Brooklyn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • East Brooklyn is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brooklyn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
    • South Wilmington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • South Wilmington is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wilmington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
    • Gardner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Braceville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Central City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Central City is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
    • Centerville ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Centerville is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
    • Coal City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Diamond
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Highland Town ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Highland Town is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Town
    • Mazon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Carbon Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Carbon Hill is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Verona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Iroquois County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Clifton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Ashkum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Danforth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Chebanse
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • La Hogue
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • La Hogue is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Hogue
    • Gilman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • L'Erable
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • L'Erable is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for L'Erable
    • Ridgeville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Ridgeville is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
    • Onarga
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Thawville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Crescent City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Del Rey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Del Rey is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Rey
    • Martinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Buckingham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Herscher
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Union Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Irwin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Irwin is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Reddick
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Goodrich
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Goodrich is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodrich
    • Bonfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Limestone
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Limestone is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Otto
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Otto is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
    • Sammons Point
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Sammons Point is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sammons Point
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
      • Sammons Point has also been known as:
      • Sammons Point village
    • Essex
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Kankakee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Aroma Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • La Salle County
    • Ransom
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Cullom
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Campus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cardiff
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Cardiff is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardiff
    • Emington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Griswold
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Griswold is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
    • Charlotte
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
    • Saunemin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Chatsworth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wing is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wing
    • Eylar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Eylar is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eylar
    • Dwight
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Dwight is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwight
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,984 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dwight <1>
    • Forrest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Odell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Odell is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 957 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odell <1>
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Weston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Weston is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
    • Cropsey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stelle, with the one closest to Stelle listed first.
    • Custer Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Custer Park is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer Park
    • Godley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Godley is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
    • Braidwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Lakewood Shores
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Lakewood Shores is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Shores
    • Wilmington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Wilmington is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,597 people
    • Symerton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Symerton is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Symerton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Blodgett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Blodgett is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blodgett
    • Wilton Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Stelle ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Stelle.

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

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

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

  • Mona Twp. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Milk's Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Edgerville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerville Cemetery
    • The Edgerville Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Floridgeville Cemetery
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Grand Prairie Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Prairie Cemetery
    • The Grand Prairie Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Grand Prairie EUB Cemetery
  • Smith Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    • The Trinity Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Trinity Cemetery
  • Broughton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Sullivan Center Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • West Lawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. John's Catholic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (184 more) ...
    • Pilot Center Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Coleman Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Coleman Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Union Hill.
    • Sacred Heart Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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.<2>

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

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

  • Kempton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Cabery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Buckingham
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Cullom
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Herscher
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Campus
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Griswold
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Griswold is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
  • Union Hill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Emington
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Charlotte
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
  • Ashkum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Reddick
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Clifton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Irwin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Irwin is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Danforth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Stelle ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Stelle.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Stelle, 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 Stelle.

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 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 Stelle:

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>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 Stelle, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Stelle) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.