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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 Windsor (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 Windsor. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Windsor is located in Mercer 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 Mercer County: Des Moines (IA), Louisa (IA), Henderson, Henry, Knox, Rock Island & Warren.

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

  • Mercer County     (The home county of Windsor)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • New Windsor
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • New Windsor is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Windsor
    • Griffin
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffin is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
    • North Henderson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Viola
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Sherrard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Matherville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilchrist
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Gilchrist is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilchrist
    • Preemption
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Shale City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Shale City is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shale City
    • Alexis
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Burgess
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Burgess is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgess
    • Norwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Norwood is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Milroy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Milroy is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
    • Rozetta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Rozetta is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozetta
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Alpha
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Ophiem
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Ophiem is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophiem
    • Woodhull
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lynn Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Orion
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Andover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Osco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Cambridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Morristown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Morristown is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morristown
    • Bishop Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Briar Bluff
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Briar Bluff is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Bluff
    • Colona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Rio
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Henderson Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Henderson Grove is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Grove
    • Henderson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Oneida
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Altona
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Wataga
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Galesburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • East Galesburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • East Galesburg is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Galesburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 761 people
    • Knox
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Knox is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
    • Knoxville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Victoria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Appleton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Appleton is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
  • Peoria County
    • Elmore
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elmore is located in Peoria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmore
  • Rock Island County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Reynolds
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Coyne Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Coyne Center is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyne Center
    • Oak Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 585 people
    • Coal Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Taylor Ridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Milan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Milan is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,945 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milan <1>
    • Carbon Cliff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • East Moline
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • East Moline is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Moline
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,473 people
    • Silvis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Silvis is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silvis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,473 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silvis <1>
    • Edgington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Edgington is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgington
    • Moline
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Moline is located in Rock Island County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moline
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 41,065 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moline <1>
    • Andalusia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Stark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • La Fayette
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • West Jersey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • West Jersey is located in Stark County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Jersey
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Shanghai City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Shanghai City is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai City
    • Utah
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Utah is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utah
    • Gerlaw
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Surrey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Surrey is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
    • Eleanor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Eleanor is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleanor
    • Little York
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cameron
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Monmouth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Kirkwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Berwick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Muscatine County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Midway Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Midway Beach is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway Beach
    • Fairport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairport is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
    • Pine Mills ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Mills is located in Muscatine County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mills
  • Scott County (IA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Windsor, with the one closest to Windsor listed first.
    • Bettendorf
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Riverdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Riverdale is located in Scott County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
    • Davenport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Panorama Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Panorama Park is located in Scott County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panorama Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 331 people
    • Buffalo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo is located in Scott County (IA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo <1>
    • Pleasant Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Le Claire
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Blue Grass
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Windsor ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Windsor.

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 Windsor - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • New Windsor Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Oxford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hopewell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Cemetery
    • The Hopewell Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Woodhams Cemetery
  • Alpha Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Grace Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Merryman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Summit Level Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Swedona Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Western Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (288 more) ...
    • Mann Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Rio Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Woodhull Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)

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 Windsor in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Windsor.

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

  • New Windsor
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • New Windsor is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Windsor
  • Alpha
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Griffin
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Griffin is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
  • Swedona
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Swedona is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedona
  • Rio
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Cable
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cable is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
  • North Henderson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Lynn Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Viola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Gilchrist
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Gilchrist is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilchrist
  • Andover
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Orion
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Preemption
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Alexis
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ontario
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Ontario is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario

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

Newspapers Published in Windsor ...

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 132 newspapers that have been published in the area around Windsor.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Windsor, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Windsor.

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 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 Windsor:

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 Windsor, 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- Windsor) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.