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 West Junction (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 West Junction. 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.
Name Variations for West Junction ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Junction: W. Junction
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Junction. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Junction.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
West Junction is located in Stephenson 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 Stephenson County: Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Winnebago, Green (WI) & Lafayette (WI).
Below are the counties that are near West Junction. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Junction:
- Stephenson County (The home county of West Junction)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Freeport
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cedarville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Red Oak
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Red Oak is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Eleroy
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Florence
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Florence is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Bolton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bolton is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- Salem
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Salem is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Buena Vista
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Dakota
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Afolkey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Afolkey is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afolkey
- Lena
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lena is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,680 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lena <1>
- McConnell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pearl City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Shannon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Zier Cors
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Zier Cors is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zier Cors
- Georgetown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Georgetown is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Lanark
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elkhorn Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
- Polsgrove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Polsgrove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polsgrove
- Hitt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Hitt is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
- Mount Carroll
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chadwick
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelhurst
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
- South Elkhorn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
- Center Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Center Hill is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Hill
- Daggett ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Daggett is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daggett
- Jo Daviess County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Nora
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stockton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Valley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Jo Daviess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Warren
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Apple River
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Elizabeth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Ogle County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Baileyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Harper
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Harper is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
- Forreston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Adeline
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Adeline is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adeline
- Population from the 2020 Census: 81 people
- Egan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Egan is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egan
- Haldane
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Haldane is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haldane
- Brookville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Brookville is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
- Maryland
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Maryland is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland
- Leaf River
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Morris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Buffalo Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
- Polo
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Byron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Whiteside County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Coleta
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Penrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Penrose is located in Whiteside County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
- Winnebago County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Pecatonica
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Seward
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Lake Summerset
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Summerset is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Summerset
- Durand
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Alworth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Alworth is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alworth
- Winnebago
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wempletown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
- Shirland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Indian Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Rockford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sturbridge Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sturbridge Village is located in Winnebago County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturbridge Village
- Green County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Twin Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Twin Grove is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Grove
- Cadiz
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cadiz is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadiz
- Browntown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Browntown is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browntown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
- Monroe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Monroe is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,426 people
- Brodhead
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brodhead is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodhead
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,204 people
- Albany
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Albany is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
- Population from the 2020 Census: 977 people
- Mineral Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mineral Point is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Point
- Monticello
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Monticello is located in Green County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,185 people
- Lafayette County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- South Wayne
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- South Wayne is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wayne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
- Gratiot
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gratiot is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratiot
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- Woodford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Woodford is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
- Wiota
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wiota is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiota
- Argyle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Argyle is located in Lafayette County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Rock County (WI)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Avon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Avon is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Newark
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Newark is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Orfordville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Orfordville is located in Rock County (WI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orfordville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,486 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Junction, see our County-by-County Page for West Junction.
Cemeteries Near West Junction ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Junction.
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 West Junction - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Junction covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- St. Marys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Freeport City Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Oakland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Grandview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Harlem Center Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Martin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Chapel Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- County Home Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cedarville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Liebhart Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (260 more) ...
- Ellis Van Brocklin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Spring Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Eleroy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find West Junction in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Junction.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Junction, with the one closest to West Junction listed first.
- Freeport
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Damascus
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Damascus is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damascus
- Cedarville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Eleroy
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Red Oak
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Red Oak is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Bolton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bolton is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
- South Freeport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Freeport is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Freeport
- Buena Vista
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Baileyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dakota
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- McConnell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ridott
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Afolkey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Afolkey is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afolkey
- Lena
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lena is located in Stephenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,680 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lena <1>
- Orangeville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Junction. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Junction.
Newspapers Published in West Junction ...
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 85 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Junction.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Junction, 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 West Junction.
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 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 West Junction:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Stephenson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Jo Daviess County
- Ogle County
- Whiteside County
- Winnebago County
- Green County
- Lafayette County
- Rock County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Illinois
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 West Junction, 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 from Point A (ie- West Junction) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |