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 Peoria (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 Peoria. 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 Peoria ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Peoria: W. Peoria
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
West Peoria is located in Peoria 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 Peoria County: Fulton, Knox, Marshall, Stark, Tazewell & Woodford.
Below are the counties that are near West Peoria. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Peoria:
- Peoria County (The home county of West Peoria)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Pottstown
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Pottstown is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
- Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- North Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Peoria is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
- Bellevue
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bellevue is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,037 people
- Bartonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Maxwell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Maxwell is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Norwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Norwood is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 447 people
- Keller
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Keller is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- Peoria Heights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Orange Prairie
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Edwards
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mossville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hanna City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Breeds
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Breeds is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
- Banner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Farmington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Brereton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Brereton is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
- Norris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Canton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Dunfermline
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Saint David
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Liverpool
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bryant
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bybee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bybee is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
- Fiatt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Yates City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Williamsfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Maquon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dahinda
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Logan County
- Emden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Hopewell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
- Sparland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lacon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Camp Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- La Rose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Manito
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Union
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Union is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Forest City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Forest City is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Goofy Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Goofy Ridge is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goofy Ridge
- San Jose
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Natrona
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Natrona is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
- Buzzville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Buzzville is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buzzville
- Topeka
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- McLean County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Danvers
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Danvers is located in McLean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,093 people
- Danvers has also been known as:
- Danver
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danvers <1>
- Carlock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Stanford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stark County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Speer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Wyoming
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- West Jersey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- Castleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Toulon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Modena
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- East Peoria
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- East Peoria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Peoria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 22,344 people
- Former name for East Peoria:
- Hilton
- Wesley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wesley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Creve Coeur
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Creve Coeur is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creve Coeur
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,109 people
- Former name for Creve Coeur:
- Wesley City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Creve Coeur <1>
- Marquette Heights
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Marquette Heights is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,617 people
- North Pekin
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- North Pekin is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pekin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,530 people
- Former name for North Pekin:
- Radio City
- Highway Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Highway Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway Village
- Farmdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
- Robein
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Robein is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robein
- Sunnyland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Trailpark Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Trailpark Gardens is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailpark Gardens
- Caldwell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Gardena
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Gardena is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardena
- Beverly Manor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Beverly Manor is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Manor
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Bay View Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bay View Gardens is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View Gardens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 407 people
- Germantown Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Bay
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
- Metamora
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Eureka
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Goodfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Congerville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Roanoke
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Washburn
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Secor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Benson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Peoria, see our County-by-County Page for West Peoria.
Cemeteries Near West Peoria ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Peoria.
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 Peoria - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Peoria covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- St. Mary's of the Woods Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- St. Joseph's Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Hebrew Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Lutheran Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Parkview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Pottstown Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Perria County Farm Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Springdale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Peoria State Hospital Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoria State Hospital Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Peoria State Hospital Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Bartonville.
- The Peoria State Hospital Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bartonville State Asylum Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960165 <2>
- Gerber Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gerber Cemetery
- The Gerber Cemetery has also been known as:
- Gerber School Cemetery
- Fondulac Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fondulac Cemetery
- The Fondulac Cemetery has also been known as:
- Camlin Cemetery
- Continue List (322 more) ...
- Christ Episcopal Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Trial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Swan Lake Memory Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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 Peoria in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Peoria.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Peoria, with the one closest to West Peoria listed first.
- Pottstown
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Pottstown is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown
- Kickapoo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Kickapoo is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kickapoo
- Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- North Peoria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Peoria is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Peoria
- Maxwell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Maxwell is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Bartonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wesley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wesley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Keller
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Keller is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
- Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Grove is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Orange Prairie
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Farmdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Farmdale is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmdale
- Edwards
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Alta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Orchard Mines
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Orchard Mines is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Mines
- Hollis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Hollis is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Peoria. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Peoria.
Newspapers Published in West Peoria ...
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 301 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Peoria.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Peoria, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Peoria.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 West Peoria:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Peoria County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fulton County
- Knox County
- Logan County
- Marshall County
- Mason County
- McLean County
- Stark County
- Tazewell County
- Woodford 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 Peoria, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- West Peoria) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |