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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 Sunny Crest (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 Sunny Crest. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

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

  • Cook County     (The home county of Sunny Crest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Flossmoor
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Olympia Fields
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Hazel Crest
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Homewood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Country Club Hills
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • East Hazel Crest
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • East Hazel Crest is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hazel Crest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,479 people
    • Park Forest
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Richton Park
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Chicago Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Matteson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Markham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Tedens ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Tedens is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
    • Darien
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Willowbrook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarendon Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hinsdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Westmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Downers Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Brook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lisle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lisle is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisle <1>
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Utopia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Channahon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Minooka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Grant Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Grant Park is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
    • Manteno
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Sherburnville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Sherburnville is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherburnville
    • Saint George
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Saint George is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
    • Illinoi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Illinoi is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinoi
    • Momence
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bourbonnais
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bradley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Illiana Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Illiana Heights is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illiana Heights
    • Litchfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Litchfield is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
    • Sun River Terrace
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Sun River Terrace is located in Kankakee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun River Terrace
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
    • Kankakee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Steger
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Frankfort Square
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Frankfort Square is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
    • University Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Crete
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Monee
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Frankfort
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Willowbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Goodenow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Goodenow is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodenow
    • Mokena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Gilletts ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Gilletts is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
    • Homer Glen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Beecher
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Lake County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Dyer
      (9 miles [14.5 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Munster is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munster <1>
    • Hammond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Hammond is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Hartsdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
    • Hessville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
    • Highland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Schererville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Saint John
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Griffith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • New Elliott
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • New Elliott is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elliott
    • East Chicago
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Whiting
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Newton County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Sumava Resorts
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Village is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
  • Porter County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunny Crest, with the one closest to Sunny Crest listed first.
    • Ogden Dunes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Ogden Dunes is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden Dunes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,083 people
    • Portage
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Portage is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 37,137 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <1>
    • Wheeler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Wheeler is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Willow Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Willow Creek is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
    • Woodland Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Woodland Village is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • South Haven
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • South Haven is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Haven
    • Burns Harbor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Porter Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Porter Crossroads is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Crossroads
    • Hebron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hebron is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hebron <1>
    • Babcock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Babcock is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babcock

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

Cemeteries Near Sunny Crest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunny Crest.

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 Sunny Crest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Sunny Crest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sunny Crest.

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

  • Homewood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Matteson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Chicago Heights
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Glenwood
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Thornton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Thornton Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Thornton Junction is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton Junction
  • Harvey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • South Holland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Tinley Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Crete
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Goeselville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Goeselville is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goeselville
  • Monee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Lansing
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Bernice
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Bernice is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernice
    • Globe
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Globe is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe

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

Newspapers Published in Sunny Crest ...

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 131 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunny Crest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunny Crest, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunny Crest.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Sunny Crest:

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