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 Williamsfield (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 Williamsfield. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Williamsfield is located in Knox 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 Knox County: Fulton, Henry, Mercer, Peoria, Stark & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Williamsfield. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williamsfield:
- Knox County (The home county of Williamsfield)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Dahinda
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Appleton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Appleton is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
- Victoria
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Yates City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Gilson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Maquon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Knox
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Knox is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
- Knoxville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Oneida
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Altona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wataga
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- East Galesburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- East Galesburg is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galesburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
- Bureau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Neponset
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Milo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Milo is located in Bureau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milo
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Farmington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- London Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Norris
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brereton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Brereton is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brereton
- Fairview
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bybee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bybee is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bybee
- Canton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Ellisville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Breeds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Breeds is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breeds
- Fiatt
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Avon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Babylon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Babylon is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babylon
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Galva
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bishop Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Kewanee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Woodhull
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Alpha
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cambridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Andover
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ophiem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ophiem is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophiem
- Marshall County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Camp Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hopewell is located in Marshall County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
- Sparland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- North Henderson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Windsor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- New Windsor is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Windsor
- Windsor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Windsor is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 760 people
- Alexis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Peoria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Elmore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Elmore is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Laura
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Brimfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Monica
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Monica is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
- Elmwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Princeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Trivoli
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dunlap
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Edwards
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- West Hallock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- West Hallock is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hallock
- Hanna City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Edelstein
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Stark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- West Jersey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- La Fayette
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Toulon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wyoming
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Speer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Modena
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Modena is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modena
- Castleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Osceola
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Osceola is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Bradford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Wesley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wesley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Creve Coeur
(29 miles [46.7 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>
- East Peoria
(29 miles [46.7 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
- North Pekin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Trailpark Gardens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Trailpark Gardens is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailpark Gardens
- Highway Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Highway Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highway Village
- Marquette Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Marquette Heights is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,617 people
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Surrey
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Surrey is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
- Utah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Utah is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utah
- Cameron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Shanghai City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Shanghai City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai City
- Berwick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Gerlaw
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Woodford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Spring Bay
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Spring Bay is located in Woodford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
- Bay View Gardens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- 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
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Williamsfield, see our County-by-County Page for Williamsfield.
Cemeteries Near Williamsfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamsfield.
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 Williamsfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williamsfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Williams Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Parker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Caldwell Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Glendale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fink Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Corbin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Trenton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- French Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Center Prairie Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- West Truro Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bradford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Catterton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (309 more) ...
- Elba Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Salem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Etherly Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Williamsfield had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Williamsfield had a population of 538 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williamsfield, with the one closest to Williamsfield listed first.
- Truro
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Truro is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truro
- Elmore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Elmore is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
- Laura
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dahinda
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- West Jersey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- West Jersey is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
- Appleton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Appleton is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
- Victoria
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Brimfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Gilson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Douglas
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Douglas is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Yates City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Elmwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Monica
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Monica is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monica
- Maquon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Hill is located in Peoria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Williamsfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williamsfield.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Williamsfield ...
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 128 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamsfield.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Williamsfield. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Williamsfield and those printed in the larger area surrounding Williamsfield.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3> of Williamsfield.
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 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 Williamsfield:
- Websites specific to Illinois
- Pages specific to Knox County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bureau County
- Fulton County
- Henry County
- Marshall County
- Mercer County
- Peoria County
- Stark County
- Tazewell County
- Warren 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> | 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 Williamsfield, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Williamsfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |