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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 Thomasboro (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 Thomasboro. 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.

Thomasboro is located in Champaign 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 Champaign County: Douglas, Edgar, Ford, McLean, Piatt & Vermilion.

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

  • Champaign County     (The home county of Thomasboro)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Rantoul
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Prospect
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Prospect is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
    • Flatville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Flatville is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
    • Dewey
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gifford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Fisher
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Fisher is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
    • Champaign
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Urbana
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Urbana is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbana
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,724 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Urbana <1>
    • Lake of the Woods
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Lake of the Woods is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Woods
    • Ludlow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Mayview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mayview is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
    • Mahomet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • De Witt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Farmer City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Watkins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Watkins is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins
    • Parnell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Parnell is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnell
    • Fullerton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Fullerton is located in De Witt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullerton
    • Weldon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Fairland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Fairland is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
    • Hayes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Hayes is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
    • Villa Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Villa Grove is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,414 people
    • Chicken Bristle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Chicken Bristle is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicken Bristle
    • Camargo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Edgar County
    • Palermo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Palermo is located in Edgar County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Elliott
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Paxton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Proctor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Proctor is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Gibson City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Gibson City is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,275 people
      • Gibson City has also been known as:
      • Gibson
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson City <1>
    • Garber
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Garber is located in Ford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garber
    • Melvin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Roberts
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sibley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Iroquois County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Loda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Loda is located in Iroquois County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loda <1>
    • Buckley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cissna Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Thawville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Claytonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Goodwine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Livingston County
    • Strawn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • McLean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Bellflower
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Laurette
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Laurette is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurette
    • Saybrook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Kumler
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Kumler is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kumler
    • Glen Avon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Glen Avon is located in McLean County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Avon
    • Arrowsmith
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Anchor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cropsey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Piatt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Mansfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • White Heath
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Monticello
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • De Land
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Bement
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Vermilion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thomasboro, with the one closest to Thomasboro listed first.
    • Armstrong
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Fithian
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Collison
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Potomac
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Muncie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Rankin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Newtown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Newtown is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
    • Glenburn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Glenburn is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenburn
    • Fairmount
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Belgium Row
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Belgium Row is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgium Row
    • Missionfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Missionfield is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missionfield

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

Cemeteries Near Thomasboro ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thomasboro.

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

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

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

  • St. Elizabeth Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Elizabeth Cemetery
    • The St. Elizabeth Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
    • Thomasboro Catholic Cemetery
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem Cemetery
    • The Bethlehem Cemetery has also been known as:
    • German Lutheran Cemetery
  • Battershell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Beckman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Brownfield Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownfield Cemetery
    • The Brownfield Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Brownfield Cemetery
  • Yearsley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Heater Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Eden Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Cemetery
    • The Eden Cemetery has also been known as:
    • American Luthern Church Cemetery
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Clements Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Dunn Locust Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn Locust Grove Cemetery
    • The Dunn Locust Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dunn Cemetery
    • Ensley Cemetery
    • Locust Grove Cemetery
    • Locust Grove Church Cemetery
  • Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
    • The Holy Sepulchre Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Catholic Cemetery
    • Rantoul Catholic Cemetery
    • Rantoul Holy Speulchre Cemetery
    • St. Malachy Cemetery
  • Continue List   (230 more) ...
    • Maplewood Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jersey Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jersey Cemetery
      • The Jersey Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Jersey Presbyterian Cemetery
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Thomasboro had a population of 230 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Thomasboro had a population of 1,066 people.

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

  • Leverett
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Leverett is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leverett
  • Rantoul
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Prospect
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Prospect is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
  • Sellers
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sellers is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
  • Tomlinson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Tomlinson is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomlinson
  • Flatville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Flatville is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatville
  • Dillsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Dillsburg is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsburg
  • Dewey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Rising
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Rising is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising
  • Champaign
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Gifford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Fisher
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fisher is located in Champaign County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,911 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fisher <1>
  • Continue List   (22 more) ...
    • Mayview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mayview is located in Champaign County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayview
    • Ludlow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Mahomet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Thomasboro ...

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 215 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thomasboro.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thomasboro, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thomasboro.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Thomasboro:

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 Thomasboro, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Thomasboro) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.