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 Amherst (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 Amherst. 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 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.
Amherst is located in Portage County.
To see how the shape of Wisconsin's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Portage County: Adams, Marathon, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Amherst. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Amherst:
- Portage County (The home county of Amherst)
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Amherst Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amherst Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Junction
- Amherst Junction is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 392 people
- Nelsonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Nelsonville is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Garfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Garfield is located in Portage County
- Arnott
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Custer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Custer is located in Portage County
- Blaine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Blaine is located in Portage County
- Polonia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polonia
- Polonia is located in Portage County
- Ellis
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
- Ellis is located in Portage County
- Alban
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alban
- Alban is located in Portage County
- Rosholt
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north) - Plover
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west) - Park Ridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Ridge
- Park Ridge is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 496 people
- Whiting
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Marathon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Galloway
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
- Galloway is located in Marathon County
- Elderon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north) - Ashley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley
- Ashley is located in Marathon County
- Hatley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatley
- Hatley is located in Marathon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
- Norrie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north) - Mosinee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Outagamie County
- Bear Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bear Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
- Bear Creek is located in Outagamie County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 439 people
- Bear Creek
- Shawano County
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Split Rock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Split Rock
- Split Rock is located in Shawano County
- Tigerton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tigerton
- Tigerton is located in Shawano County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
- Wittenberg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
- Wittenberg is located in Shawano County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 986 people
- Eland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eland
- Eland is located in Shawano County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
- Leopolis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leopolis
- Leopolis is located in Shawano County
- Waupaca County
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Sheridan
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Sheridan is located in Waupaca County
- Scandinavia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scandinavia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scandinavia
- Scandinavia is located in Waupaca County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
- Cobb Town
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Iola
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - King
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- King is located in Waupaca County
- Ogdensburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogdensburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogdensburg
- Ogdensburg is located in Waupaca County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 175 people
- Waupaca
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast) - Manawa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east) - Big Falls
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast) - Little Wolf ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Wolf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Wolf
- Little Wolf is located in Waupaca County
- Granite City ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Granite City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granite City
- Granite City is located in Waupaca County
- Weyauwega
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast) - Gills Landing
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gills Landing
- Gills Landing is located in Waupaca County
- Waushara County
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Wild Rose
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Rose
- Wild Rose is located in Waushara County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 651 people
- Plainfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
- Plainfield is located in Waushara County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
- Saxeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxeville
- Saxeville is located in Waushara County
- West Bloomfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bloomfield
- West Bloomfield is located in Waushara County
- Mount Morris
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Morris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Morris
- Mount Morris is located in Waushara County
- Pine River
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine River
- Pine River is located in Waushara County
- Hancock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest) - Poy Sippi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poy Sippi
- Poy Sippi is located in Waushara County
- Wautoma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south) - Silver Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Silver Lake is located in Waushara County
- Lohrville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south) - Redgranite
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redgranite have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redgranite
- Redgranite is located in Waushara County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,111 people
- Winnebago County
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Orihula
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orihula
- Orihula is located in Winnebago County
- Zittau
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zittau
- Zittau is located in Winnebago County
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Biron
(23 miles [37 km] to the west) - Lake Wazeecha
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Wazeecha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wazeecha
- Lake Wazeecha is located in Wood County
- Grand Rapids
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Rapids
- Grand Rapids is located in Wood County
- Rudolph
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west) - Wisconsin Rapids
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wisconsin Rapids
- Wisconsin Rapids is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,555 people
- Port Edwards
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Edwards
- Port Edwards is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,752 people
- Milladore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milladore
- Milladore is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Amherst, see our County-by-County Page for Amherst.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Amherst ...
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 101 newspapers that have been published in the area around Amherst.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Amherst. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Amherst and those printed in the larger area surrounding Amherst.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2> of Amherst.
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 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 Amherst:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the //www.wisconsinhistory.org/
- Pages specific to Portage County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Marathon County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Outagamie County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Shawano County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Waupaca County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Waushara County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Winnebago County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Wood County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Marathon County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Portage County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
Cemeteries Near Amherst ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Amherst.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Amherst covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
- Amherst Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amherst Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amherst Cemetery
- Lower Amherst Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Amherst Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Amherst Cemetery
- Bickel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bickel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bickel Cemetery
- Kimball Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kimball Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kimball Cemetery
- Nelsonville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nelsonville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nelsonville Cemetery
- St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Cemetery
- Farmington Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmington Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmington Lutheran Cemetery
- Scandinavia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scandinavia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scandinavia Cemetery
- Lombard Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lombard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lombard Cemetery
- Badger Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Badger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Badger Cemetery
- Liberty Corners Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Corners Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #416461 <3>
- Continue List (161 more) ...
- Hillside Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
- Barton Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barton Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #219095 <3>
- Salem Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
- Hillside Cemetery
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Amherst had a population of 438 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Amherst had a population of 1,082 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Amherst, with the one closest to Amherst listed first.
- Amherst Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amherst Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst Junction
- Amherst Junction is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 392 people
- Nelsonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Nelsonville is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- New Hope
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north) - Lake Emily ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Emily have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Emily
- Lake Emily is located in Portage County
- Sheridan
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Sheridan is located in Waupaca County
- Fancher
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Scandinavia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scandinavia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scandinavia
- Scandinavia is located in Waupaca County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
- Garfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Garfield is located in Portage County
- Arnott
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Iola
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast) - Peru
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - Custer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Custer is located in Portage County
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Blaine
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Blaine is located in Portage County
- Stockton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest) - Northland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Blaine
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Amherst. See our List of 1890's Communities around Amherst.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Amherst. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Portage County: www.co.portage.wi.us/
The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <2> | 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 from Point A (ie- Amherst) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Amherst. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4509, Longitude: -89.2847 |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Amherst, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |