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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 Watseka (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 Watseka. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Watseka is located in Iroquois County and is the County Seat.

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 Iroquois County: Ford, Kankakee, Vermilion, Benton (IN) & Newton (IN).

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

  • Iroquois County     (The home county of Watseka)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Woodland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Crescent City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crescent City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent City
      • Crescent City is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crescent City <1>
    • Sheldon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Iroquois
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Schwer
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Martinton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinton
      • Martinton is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Martinton <1>
    • Donovan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donovan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donovan
      • Donovan is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donovan <1>
    • Woodworth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Effner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • L'Erable
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for L'Erable. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for L'Erable
      • L'Erable is located in Iroquois County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to L'Erable
      • From Watseka to L'Erable
    • Milford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
      • Milford is located in Iroquois County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milford <1>
    • Beaverville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Ford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Piper City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Roberts
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roberts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
      • Roberts is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roberts <1>
    • Cabery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabery
      • Cabery is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 243 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cabery <1>
    • Kempton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kempton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kempton
      • Kempton is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kempton <1>
    • Paxton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paxton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
      • Paxton is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxton <1>
    • Melvin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Ford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Melvin <1>
  • Kankakee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Saint Anne
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Anne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anne
      • Saint Anne is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,174 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Anne <1>
    • Sammons Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sammons Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sammons Point
      • Sammons Point is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
      • Sammons Point has also been known as:
      • Sammons Point village
    • Otto
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Aroma Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aroma Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aroma Park
      • Aroma Park is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aroma Park <1>
    • Hopkins Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopkins Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins Park
      • Hopkins Park is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 608 people
      • Hopkins Park has also been known as:
      • Hopkins Park village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hopkins Park <1>
    • Irwin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
      • Irwin is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
    • Kankakee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Sun River Terrace
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sun River Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun River Terrace
      • Sun River Terrace is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
    • Limestone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Limestone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone
      • Limestone is located in Kankakee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Herscher
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bradley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Momence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • 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>
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Cullom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cullom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullom
      • Cullom is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 519 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cullom <1>
    • Charlotte
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Charlotte. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
      • Charlotte is located in Livingston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Charlotte
      • From Watseka to Charlotte
    • Chatsworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth
      • Chatsworth is located in Livingston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,104 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chatsworth <1>
  • Vermilion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • East Lynn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lynn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
      • East Lynn is located in Vermilion County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Lynn <1>
    • Hoopeston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoopeston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoopeston
      • Hoopeston is located in Vermilion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoopeston <1>
    • Rankin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rankin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
      • Rankin is located in Vermilion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rankin <1>
    • Coalton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coalton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
      • Coalton is located in Vermilion County
    • Rossville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Benton County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Raub
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Freeland Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Earl Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Dunn ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dunn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
      • Dunn is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dunn
      • From Watseka to Dunn
    • Gravel Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ambia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Talbot
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Talbot have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talbot
      • Talbot is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Talbot <1>
    • Wadena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Fowler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Boswell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boswell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boswell
      • Boswell is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 767 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boswell <1>
    • Atkinson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Oxford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oxford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Oxford is located in Benton County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oxford
      • From Watseka to Oxford
  • Jasper County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Egypt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Remington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Remington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remington
      • Remington is located in Jasper County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Remington <1>
  • Lake County (IN)
    • Illinoi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • 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 Lake County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Illinoi
      • From Watseka to Illinoi
  • Newton County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watseka, with the one closest to Watseka listed first.
    • Kentland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kentland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentland
      • Kentland is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,650 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kentland <1>
    • Newton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Newton County (IN)
    • Beaver City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver City
      • Beaver City is located in Newton County (IN)
    • Morocco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morocco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morocco
      • Morocco is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morocco <1>
    • Brook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook
      • Brook is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 941 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brook <1>
    • Goodland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Foresman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Foresman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foresman
      • Foresman is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Foresman
      • From Watseka to Foresman
    • Mount Ayr
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Ayr. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ayr
      • Mount Ayr is located in Newton County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Ayr
      • From Watseka to Mount Ayr
    • Lake Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
      • Lake Village is located in Newton County (IN)
    • Sumava Resorts
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Warren County (IN)

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

Cemeteries Near Watseka ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watseka.

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 Watseka covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Chamberlain Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chamberlain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chamberlain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Keen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gard Army of the Republic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gard Army of the Republic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gard Army of the Republic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Iroquois Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iroquois Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iroquois Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Belmont Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Belmont Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Belmont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roberts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roberts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pierce Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pierce Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pierce Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Body Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Body Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Body Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Texas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Texas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Texas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lyman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lyman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lyman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prarie Dell Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prarie Dell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prarie Dell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (155 more) ...
    • Vennum Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vennum Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vennum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Flesher Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flesher Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flesher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Watseka had a population of 2,017 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Watseka had a population of 4,694 people.

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

  • Eastburn
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastburn
    • Eastburn is located in Iroquois County
  • Crescent City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crescent City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent City
    • Crescent City is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 547 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crescent City <1>
  • Schwer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Sheldon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Iroquois
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodworth
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Donovan
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donovan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donovan
    • Donovan is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donovan <1>
  • Martinton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinton
    • Martinton is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Martinton <1>
  • Milford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
    • Milford is located in Iroquois County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milford <1>
  • Effner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Effner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effner
    • Effner is located in Newton County (IN)
  • Effner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • L'Erable
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for L'Erable. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for L'Erable
    • L'Erable is located in Iroquois County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to L'Erable
    • From Watseka to L'Erable
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Watseka ...

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 193 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watseka.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Watseka. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Watseka and those printed in the larger area surrounding Watseka.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6> of Watseka.

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 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 Watseka:

The official website for Watseka: www.watsekacity.com/

The official website for Iroquois County: www.iroquois-co.com/

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 Watseka, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Watseka) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watseka. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7764, Longitude: -87.7327    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025