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 Brook (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 Brook. 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 southeast 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 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.
Brook is located in Newton County.
To see how the shape of Indiana's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Newton County: Iroquois (IL), Kankakee (IL), Benton, Jasper & Lake.
Below are the counties that are near Brook. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Brook:
- Newton County (The home county of Brook)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Foresman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Foresman is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foresman
- Beaver City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Beaver City is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver City
- Mount Ayr
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Ayr is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ayr
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Morocco
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Newton is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Kentland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Goodland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Lake Village is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
- Roselawn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Roselawn is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roselawn
- Sumava Resorts
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Thayer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Thayer is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thayer
- Benton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Raub
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Raub is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raub
- Earl Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Earl Park is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
- Wadena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Wadena is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadena
- Gravel Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Gravel Hill is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Hill
- Fowler
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Freeland Park
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Freeland Park is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland Park
- Atkinson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Atkinson is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkinson
- Dunn ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Dunn is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn
- Boswell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Oxford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Talbot
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Templeton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Templeton is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Templeton
- Jasper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Egypt
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Egypt is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt
- Collegeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Collegeville is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collegeville
- Rensselaer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Remington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fair Oaks
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Virgie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Virgie is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgie
- Gifford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gifford is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gifford
- Forest City
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Forest City is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
- DeMotte
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- DeMotte is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeMotte
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,172 people
- DeMotte has also been known as:
- De Motte
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for DeMotte <1>
- Stoutsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Stoutsburg is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoutsburg
- Wheatfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tefft
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tefft is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tefft
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Schneider
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Schneider is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schneider
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Shelby
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Shelby is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
- Illinoi
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Illinoi is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinoi
- Dinwiddie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Dinwiddie is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dinwiddie
- Lowell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Francesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Medaryville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Warren County
- Pine Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- White County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Wolcott
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Lee is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
- Monon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Reynolds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Chalmers
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Chalmers is located in White County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalmers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 493 people
- Iroquois County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Effner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Effner is located in Iroquois County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effner
- Iroquois
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sheldon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Donovan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Beaverville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Martinton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Papineau
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Watseka
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Stockland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Milford
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- L'Erable
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- L'Erable is located in Iroquois County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for L'Erable
- Kankakee County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Hopkins Park
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Hopkins Park is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 608 people
- Hopkins Park has also been known as:
- Hopkins Park village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hopkins Park <1>
- Saint Anne
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Illiana Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Illiana Heights is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illiana Heights
- Illinoi
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Illinoi is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Illinoi
- Litchfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Litchfield is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
- Momence
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sherburnville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sherburnville is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherburnville
- Sun River Terrace
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sun River Terrace is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun River Terrace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
- Aroma Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sammons Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sammons Point is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sammons Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 237 people
- Sammons Point has also been known as:
- Sammons Point village
- Grant Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grant Park is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,231 people
- Otto
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Otto is located in Kankakee County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otto
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Brook, see our County-by-County Page for Brook.
Cemeteries Near Brook ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brook.
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 Brook - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brook covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beaver City Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kennedy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Prairie Vine Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Russell Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Porter Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dorne Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Goodland Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Murphy Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (153 more) ...
- Morris Chapel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fairlawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
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 Brook had a population of 296 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Brook had a population of 941 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Brook, with the one closest to Brook listed first.
- Foresman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Foresman is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foresman
- Beaver City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Beaver City is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver City
- Mount Ayr
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Ayr is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ayr
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
- Morocco
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kentland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Goodland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Effner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Effner is located in Iroquois County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effner
- Effner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Effner is located in Newton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effner
- Iroquois
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Raub
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Raub is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raub
- Sheldon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Earl Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Earl Park is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Wadena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Wadena is located in Benton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadena
- Rensselaer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Surrey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Surrey is located in Jasper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Surrey
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Brook. See our List of 1890's Communities around Brook.
Newspapers Published in Brook ...
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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brook.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brook, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brook.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Brook:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Newton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Benton County
- Jasper County
- Lake County
- Pulaski County
- Warren County
- White County
- Iroquois County
- Kankakee County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Indiana
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 Brook, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Brook) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |