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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 Welland (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 Welland. 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 and doctors 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.

Welland is primarily located in La Salle County. A portion of Welland extends into Lee 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 La Salle County: Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, Lee, Livingston, Marshall, Putnam & Woodford.

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

  • La Salle County     (The home county of Welland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • Mendota
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Earlville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Triumph
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Troy Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Prairie Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Prairie Center is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
    • Waltham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Waltham is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltham
    • Baker
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Baker is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
    • Leland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • La Salle
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • North Utica
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • North Utica is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Utica
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,333 people
    • Blakes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Blakes is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
    • Peru
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Peru is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,612 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peru <1>
    • Serena
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • La Moille
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Van Orin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Zearing
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Zearing is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zearing
    • Ladd
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Ladd is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladd
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,184 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ladd <1>
    • Dalzell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Greenoak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
    • Malden
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Seatonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ohio
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Dover
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hollowayville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Hollowayville is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollowayville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • Shabbona Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove
    • Shabbona
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Franks
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Franks is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franks
    • Somonauk
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Elva
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Elva is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elva
    • Sandwich
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Malta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Hinckley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • De Kalb
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Esmond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Cortland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Clare
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Grundy County
    • Nettle Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Nettle Creek is located in Grundy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettle Creek
  • Kane County
    • Big Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Kendall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • Little Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Little Rock is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock
    • Millbrook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Newark
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Plano
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Plano is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plano
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plano <1>
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • Compton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • The Burg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • The Burg is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Burg
    • Radley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Radley is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radley
    • Paw Paw
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • West Brooklyn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • East Paw Paw
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • East Paw Paw is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Paw Paw
    • Sublette
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Inlet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Lee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Lee Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Steward
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Amboy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ashton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • Flagg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Flagg is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
    • Rochelle
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Creston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Flagg Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • Hillcrest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
    • Carthage
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Carthage is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Chana
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Honey Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
    • Watertown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Watertown is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Lindenwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Oregon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Holcomb
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Woosung
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Welland, with the one closest to Welland listed first.
    • Granville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Mark
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Standard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Hennepin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Palatine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mount Palatine is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Palatine

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

Cemeteries Near Welland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Welland.

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

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

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

  • Fourmile Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Brooklyn Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Cottage Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Restland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Tripp Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Brooklyn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Worsley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Harding Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Crandall Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Wisner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Wyoming Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (247 more) ...
    • Fisk Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • St. Mary's Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Union Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>

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

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

  • Meriden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Meriden is located in La Salle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
  • Compton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mendota
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Radley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Radley is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radley
  • Paw Paw
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • West Brooklyn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Earlville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Sublette
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Triumph
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Rollo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rollo is located in DeKalb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollo
  • Troy Grove
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • La Moille
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Prairie Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Prairie Center is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Center
    • Dimmick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Dimmick is located in La Salle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dimmick
    • Shabbona Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shabbona Grove is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona Grove

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

Newspapers Published in Welland ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Welland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Welland, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Welland.

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 Welland:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Welland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Welland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.