RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Ogle County >> White Rock >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 White Rock (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 White Rock. 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 White Rock ...

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.

Another variation: Whiterock.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named White Rock. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for White Rock.

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 hospitals 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.

White Rock is located in Ogle 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 Ogle County: Carroll, DeKalb, Lee, Stephenson, Whiteside & Winnebago.

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

  • Ogle County     (The home county of White Rock)
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • Holcomb
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Davis Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lindenwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Stillman Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Chana
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Flagg Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
    • Hillcrest
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hillcrest is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,216 people
    • Monroe Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Byron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rochelle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Honey Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
    • Watertown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Watertown is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • Irene
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Irene is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irene
    • Herbert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Herbert is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herbert
    • Belvidere
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Timberlane
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Timberlane is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlane
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 934 people
    • Garden Prairie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Caledonia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Russellville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Russellville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
    • Poplar Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • Hazelhurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
    • Elkhorn Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
    • South Elkhorn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
  • DeKalb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • Esmond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Fairdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairdale is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Kirkland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Clare
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Malta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Brush Point ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Brush Point is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Point
    • Kingston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Coltonville ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Coltonville is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coltonville
    • De Kalb
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Elva
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Elva is located in DeKalb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elva
    • Genoa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Shabbona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • Maple Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Burlington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • Ashton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Steward
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Nachusa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Inlet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Lee Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • The Burg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • The Burg is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Burg
    • Dixon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Compton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • West Brooklyn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Eldena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • McHenry County
    • Marengo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Stephenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • German Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridott
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Florence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Florence is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Davis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Davis is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 616 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davis <1>
    • Freeport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Whiteside County
    • Penrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
  • Winnebago County
    • The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
    • New Millford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • New Millford is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Millford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • North Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • North Park is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Park
    • Indian Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Indian Village is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
    • Alworth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Alworth is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alworth
    • Rockford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Winnebago
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Cherry Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Seward
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Loves Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Wempletown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Wempletown is located in Winnebago County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wempletown
    • Machesney Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Pecatonica
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near White Rock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of White Rock.

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 White Rock - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • White Rock Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Chaney Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Beach Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Paynes Point Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Big Mound Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Stinsonian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Cooley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Stillman Valley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Lindenwood Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Flagg Center Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (244 more) ...
    • Trinity Memorial Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Monroe Center Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Kilbuck Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that White Rock had a population of 57 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Kings
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Kings is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings
  • Holcomb
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Davis Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Chana
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Stillman Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Lindenwood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Flagg Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Flagg Center is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg Center
  • Honey Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
  • Rochelle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Monroe Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Byron
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Kishwaukee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Kishwaukee is located in Winnebago County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kishwaukee
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Flagg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Flagg is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flagg
    • Daysville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Daysville is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daysville
    • Esmond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in White Rock ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around White Rock.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of White Rock, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for White Rock.

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 helpful 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 White Rock:

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 White Rock, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- White Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.