RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Illinois >> Cook County >> Willow Springs >> 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 Willow Springs (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 Willow Springs. 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 Willow Springs ...

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 Willow Springs: Willow Spgs. (or less commonly used: Willow Spngs. or Willow Sprngs.)

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

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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Willow Springs is located in Cook 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 Cook County: DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, Lake (IN) & Berrien (MI).

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

  • Cook County     (The home county of Willow Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Hickory Hills
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Justice
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Countryside
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Indian Head Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Indian Head Park is located in Cook County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,680 people
    • Hodgkins
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Burr Ridge
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgeview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Palos Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • La Grange
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • McCook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Chicago Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Bedford Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Palos Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • DuPage County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Willowbrook
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarendon Hills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hinsdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Tedens ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Tedens is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
    • Darien
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Westmont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Brook
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Downers Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Oak Brook Terrace
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Brook Terrace is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Brook Terrace
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
    • Utopia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Utopia is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
    • York Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • York Center is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Center
    • Lisle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lisle is located in DuPage County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lisle <1>
  • Grundy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Minooka
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Channahon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Kane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Aurora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Batavia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Geneva
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Mooseheart
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • North Aurora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • North Aurora is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Aurora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
    • Saint Charles
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Coleman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Coleman is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Bonnie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bonnie is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnie
      • Bonnie has also been known as:
      • Bonnie Valley
    • South Elgin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elgin is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elgin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,646 people
    • Sugar Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Campton Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Campton Hills is located in Kane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campton Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,063 people
      • Campton Hills has also been known as:
      • Campton Hills village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Campton Hills <1>
    • Elgin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Wasco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kendall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Boulder Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Boulder Hill is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boulder Hill
    • Montgomery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Oswego
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Bristol
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Plattville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Plattville is located in Kendall County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plattville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Yorkville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Braeside
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Braeside is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeside
    • Buffalo Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Deerfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Ravinia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Ravinia is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravinia
    • Riverwoods
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Will County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Goodings Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
    • Homer Glen
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Homer Glen is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer Glen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,281 people
      • Homer Glen has also been known as:
      • Homer Glen village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Homer Glen <1>
    • Bolingbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Colonial Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Colonial Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Winston Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Winston Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winston Village
    • Bloomfield Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Bloomfield Village is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Village
    • Lockport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Romeoville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mokena
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Frankfort Square
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Frankfort Square is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankfort Square
    • Gilletts ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Gilletts is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilletts
    • New Lenox
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Fairmont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairmont is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
  • Lake County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
    • Whiting
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Hammond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Hammond is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75,342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • East Chicago
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Hessville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Hessville is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessville
    • Munster
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Munster is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,483 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munster <1>
    • Dyer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dyer is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dyer <1>
    • Highland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hartsdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hartsdale is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsdale
    • Griffith
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Gary
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Gary is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,693 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <1>
    • Schererville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • New Elliott
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • New Elliott is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Elliott
    • Ross
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Ross is located in Lake County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross

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

Cemeteries Near Willow Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Springs.

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 Willow Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Fairmount Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Archer Woods Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Lithuanian National Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Bethania Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • St. John Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John Lutheran Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John Lutheran Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Hodgkins.
    • The St. John Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Johns Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107905 <2>
  • St. James at Sag Bridge Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Resurrection Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Resurrection Catholic Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Justice.
    • The Resurrection Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Resurrection Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #107652 <2>
  • Ressurection Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • LaGrange Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (397 more) ...
    • St. Patrick Parish Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Patrick Parish Cemetery
      • The St. Patrick Parish Cemetery has also been known as:
      • St. Patricks Catholic Cemetery
    • Mt. Vernon Memorial Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Fullersburg 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Willow Springs had a population of 250 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Willow Springs had a population of 5,562 people.

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

  • Sag Bridge
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sag Bridge is located in Cook County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sag Bridge
  • La Grange
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Lace
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lace is located in DuPage County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lace
  • Tedens ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tedens is located in DuPage County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tedens
  • Worth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hinsdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Summit
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Clarendon Hills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Western Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Fullersburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Fullersburg is located in DuPage County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fullersburg
  • Oak Lawn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Lyons
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Lemont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Goodings Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Goodings Grove is located in Will County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodings Grove
    • Riverside
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Willow Springs ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Springs, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Willow Springs:

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 Willow Springs, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Willow Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.