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The Commemorative Quarter for Illinois





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 Thornton (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 Thornton. 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 and hospitals 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.

Thornton is located in Cook County.

To see how the shape of Illinois' counties 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 Thornton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thornton:

  • Cook County     (The home county of Thornton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Glenwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • East Hazel Crest
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Hazel Crest have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hazel Crest
      • East Hazel Crest is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,479 people
    • Homewood
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Phoenix
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phoenix have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenix
      • Phoenix is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,884 people
    • South Holland
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Holland
      • South Holland is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,040 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Holland <1>
    • Harvey
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lansing
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
      • Lansing is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,059 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lansing <1>
    • Globe
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Globe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
      • Globe is located in Cook County
    • Hazel Crest
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Dolton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dolton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dolton
      • Dolton is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,033 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dolton <1>
    • Dixmoor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixmoor
      • Dixmoor is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,518 people
    • Chicago Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Flossmoor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flossmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flossmoor
      • Flossmoor is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,018 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flossmoor <1>
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Willowbrook
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
      • Willowbrook is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willowbrook <1>
    • Darien
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Darien have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darien
      • Darien is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,531 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Darien <1>
    • Hinsdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarendon Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarendon Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon Hills
      • Clarendon Hills is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarendon Hills <1>
    • Westmont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodridge
      • Woodridge is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,329 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodridge <1>
    • Oak Brook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook
      • Oak Brook is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Brook <1>
    • Downers Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Brook Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook Terrace
      • Oak Brook Terrace is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
    • Utopia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
    • South Elmhurst
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Elmhurst. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elmhurst
      • South Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
    • York Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for York Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
      • York Center is located in DuPage County
    • Elmhurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmhurst
      • Elmhurst is located in DuPage County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46,532 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmhurst <1>
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Grant Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Park
      • Grant Park is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
    • Sherburnville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sherburnville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherburnville
      • Sherburnville is located in Kankakee County
    • Manteno
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manteno have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteno
      • Manteno is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,892 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manteno <1>
    • Illinoi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Illinoi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinoi
      • Illinoi is located in Kankakee County
    • Illiana Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illiana Heights
      • Illiana Heights is located in Kankakee County
    • Saint George
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
      • Saint George is located in Kankakee County
    • Momence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Momence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Momence
      • Momence is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,049 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Momence <1>
    • Bradley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,132 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bradley <1>
    • Bourbonnais
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bourbonnais have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourbonnais
      • Bourbonnais is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,378 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bourbonnais <1>
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Steger
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Crete
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crete have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crete
      • Crete is located in Will County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,938 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crete <1>
    • Willowbrook
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willowbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
      • Willowbrook is located in Will County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willowbrook <1>
    • University Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for University Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for University Park
      • University Park is located in Will County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,817 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for University Park <1>
    • Frankfort Square
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frankfort Square have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
      • Frankfort Square is located in Will County
    • Goodenow
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodenow
      • Goodenow is located in Will County
    • Frankfort
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frankfort have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort
      • Frankfort is located in Will County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,411 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frankfort <1>
    • Monee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mokena
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mokena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mokena
      • Mokena is located in Will County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,050 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mokena <1>
    • Beecher
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Gilletts ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilletts. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
      • Gilletts is located in Will County
    • Goodings Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodings Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
    • Homer Glen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Glen
      • Homer Glen is located in Will County
      • 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>
  • Lake County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Hammond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Hammond is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Munster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
      • Munster is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munster <1>
    • Dyer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
      • Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
    • Hessville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
      • Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
    • Highland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • East Chicago
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Chicago. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Chicago
      • East Chicago is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,742 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Chicago <1>
    • Griffith
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Whiting
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiting have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiting
      • Whiting is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,814 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whiting <1>
    • Schererville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schererville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schererville
      • Schererville is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28,593 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Schererville <1>
    • New Elliott
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elliott
      • New Elliott is located in Lake County (IN)
    • Saint John
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ross
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ross. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
      • Ross is located in Lake County (IN)
    • Gary
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,693 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <1>
  • Newton County (IN)
    • Sumava Resorts
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sumava Resorts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumava Resorts
      • Sumava Resorts is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sumava Resorts <1>
  • Porter County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Ogden Dunes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogden Dunes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogden Dunes
      • Ogden Dunes is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,083 people
    • Portage
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
      • Portage is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 37,137 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <1>
    • Willow Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Creek
      • Willow Creek is located in Porter County (IN)
    • Woodland Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
      • Woodland Village is located in Porter County (IN)
    • Wheeler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Porter County (IN)
    • South Haven
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Haven have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Haven
      • South Haven is located in Porter County (IN)
    • Burns Harbor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burns Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns Harbor
      • Burns Harbor is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,922 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burns Harbor <1>
    • Babcock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Babcock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babcock
      • Babcock is located in Porter County (IN)
    • Porter Crossroads
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Crossroads
      • Porter Crossroads is located in Porter County (IN)
    • Dune Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dune Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dune Acres
      • Dune Acres is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Hebron
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hebron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Hebron is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,669 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hebron <1>
    • Chesterton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Porter
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,840 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Porter <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Thornton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thornton.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Homewood Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Washington Memory Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Mt. Forest Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Forest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Glenwood Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Assumption Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Oak Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Berger Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Berger Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Berger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • First Reformed of Lansing Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Reformed of Lansing Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Reformed of Lansing Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Coopers Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coopers Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coopers Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (331 more) ...
    • Bloom Presbyterian Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bloom Presbyterian Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bloom Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Concordia Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Thornton had a population of 450 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Thornton had a population of 2,367 people.

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

  • Homewood
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Glenwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Thornton Junction
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thornton Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton Junction
    • Thornton Junction is located in Cook County
  • Harvey
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • South Holland
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Holland
    • South Holland is located in Cook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,040 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Holland <1>
  • Lansing
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lansing
    • Lansing is located in Cook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,059 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lansing <1>
  • Bernice
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bernice have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernice
    • Bernice is located in Cook County
  • Globe
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Globe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
    • Globe is located in Cook County
  • Berger
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berger
    • Berger is located in Cook County
  • Chicago Heights
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Riverdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
    • Riverdale is located in Cook County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,912 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverdale <1>
  • Calumet City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Maynard
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
      • Maynard is located in Lake County (IN)
    • Hammond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Hammond is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • Burnham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnham
      • Burnham is located in Cook County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,040 people

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

Newspapers Published in Thornton ...

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 136 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thornton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thornton, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thornton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Thornton:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Thornton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Cook County: www.co.cook.il.us/

The official website for State of Illinois: https://illinois.gov

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Thornton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Thornton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thornton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.5709, Longitude: -87.6184       In this case, the coordinates for Thornton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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