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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 Woodland Shores (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 Woodland Shores. 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 Woodland Shores ...

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 Woodland Shores: Woodland Shrs.

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.

Woodland Shores is located in Lee 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 Lee County: Bureau, DeKalb, La Salle, Ogle & Whiteside.

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

  • Lee County     (The home county of Woodland Shores)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodland Shores, with the one closest to Woodland Shores listed first.
    • Nelson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Prairieville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Prairieville is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
    • Dixon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Harmon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Eldena
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Nachusa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Amboy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Lee Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Ashton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Inlet
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Inlet is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inlet
    • Sublette
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • West Brooklyn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Bureau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodland Shores, with the one closest to Woodland Shores listed first.
    • Walnut
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ohio
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Kasbeer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Van Orin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Limerick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Limerick is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
    • New Bedford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Yorktown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Yorktown is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • Greenoak
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Greenoak is located in Bureau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenoak
    • La Moille
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Manlius
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Dover
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Malden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Arlington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodland Shores, with the one closest to Woodland Shores listed first.
    • Hazelhurst
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hazelhurst is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
    • South Elkhorn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • South Elkhorn is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Elkhorn
    • Milledgeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hitt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hitt is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitt
    • Elkhorn Grove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Elkhorn Grove is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn Grove
    • Fair Haven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Fair Haven is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Haven
    • Chadwick
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ideal
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Ideal is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ideal
    • Lanark
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Shannon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Daggett ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Daggett is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daggett
    • Argo Fay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Argo Fay is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argo Fay
    • Georgetown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Georgetown is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
  • Henry County
    • Hooppole
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • La Salle County
    • Mendota
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ogle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodland Shores, with the one closest to Woodland Shores listed first.
    • Woosung
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Buffalo Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Buffalo Grove is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Grove
    • Polo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Carthage
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Carthage is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Brookville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Brookville is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
    • Haldane
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Haldane is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haldane
    • Maryland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Maryland is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland
    • Mount Morris
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Honey Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Honey Creek is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
    • Oregon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Watertown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Watertown is located in Ogle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
    • Chana
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Forreston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Stephenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodland Shores, with the one closest to Woodland Shores listed first.
    • German Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Florence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Florence is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Bolton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Bolton is located in Stephenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
  • Whiteside County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Woodland Shores, with the one closest to Woodland Shores listed first.
    • Penrose
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
    • Rock Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Sterling
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Galt
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Coleta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Deer Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Malvern
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Malvern is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
    • Tampico
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • White Pigeon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • White Pigeon is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Pigeon
    • Lyndon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Morrison
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Prophetstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Denrock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Denrock is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denrock

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

Cemeteries Near Woodland Shores ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Woodland Shores.

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 Woodland Shores - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Rock Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Nelson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Emanuel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Prairieville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Chapel Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Sugar Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Dixon State School Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (228 more) ...
    • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Centenary Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Burket 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 Woodland Shores in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Woodland Shores.

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

  • Nelson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Prairieville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Prairieville is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
  • Dixon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Harmon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Woosung
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Sterling
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Rock Falls
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Penrose
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Penrose is located in Whiteside County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penrose
  • Eldena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Nachusa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Walton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Walton is located in Lee County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
  • Grand Detour
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Emerson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Emerson is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
    • Galt
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Como
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Como is located in Whiteside County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como

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

Newspapers Published in Woodland Shores ...

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 217 newspapers that have been published in the area around Woodland Shores.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Woodland Shores, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Woodland Shores.

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 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 Woodland Shores:

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