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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 Wills (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 Wills. 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.

Wills is located in Bayfield 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 Bayfield County: Ashland, Douglas, Sawyer & Washburn.

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

  • Bayfield County     (The home county of Wills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wills, with the one closest to Wills listed first.
    • Delta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
      • Delta is located in Bayfield County
    • Sutherland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherland
      • Sutherland is located in Bayfield County
    • Moquah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moquah
      • Moquah is located in Bayfield County
    • Benoit
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benoit
      • Benoit is located in Bayfield County
    • Mason
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Bayfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wills, with the one closest to Wills listed first.
    • Lake Nebagamon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Nebagamon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Nebagamon
      • Lake Nebagamon is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,064 people
    • Cloverland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverland
      • Cloverland is located in Douglas County
    • Poplar
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar
      • Poplar is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • Hawthorne
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne
      • Hawthorne is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,157 people
    • Bennett
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennett
      • Bennett is located in Douglas County
    • Sauntry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauntry
      • Sauntry is located in Douglas County
    • Solon Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Solon Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon Springs
      • Solon Springs is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 604 people
    • South Range
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Range
      • South Range is located in Douglas County
    • Saunders
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saunders
      • Saunders is located in Douglas County
    • Superior Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Superior Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior Village
      • Superior Village is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
    • Superior
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
      • Superior is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,213 people
  • Sawyer County
    • Seeley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seeley
      • Seeley is located in Sawyer County
  • Lake County (MN)
    • Knife River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knife River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knife River
      • Knife River is located in Lake County (MN)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knife River <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Wills ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wills, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wills.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Wills:

Cemeteries Near Wills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wills.

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 Wills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Pine Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Ridge Cemetery
  • Pine Glade Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Glade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Glade Cemetery
  • City Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the City Cemetery
  • Ever Rest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ever Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ever Rest Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Blueberry Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blueberry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blueberry Cemetery
  • Oulu Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oulu Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oulu Cemetery
  • Highland Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Memorial Cemetery
  • Barnes Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barnes Cemetery
  • Valley View Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley View Cemetery
  • Rest Haven Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rest Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rest Haven Cemetery
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (29 more) ...
    • Poplar Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Pike River Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pike River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pike River Cemetery
    • Lakeside Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside 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.<5>

While we didn't find Wills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wills.

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

  • Brule
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brule have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brule
    • Brule is located in Douglas County
  • Muskeg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muskeg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskeg
    • Muskeg is located in Bayfield County
  • Iron River
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron River
    • Iron River is located in Bayfield County
  • Blueberry
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blueberry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blueberry
    • Blueberry is located in Douglas County
  • Maple
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple
    • Maple is located in Douglas County
  • Topside
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Topside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topside
    • Topside is located in Bayfield County
  • Poplar
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar
    • Poplar is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
  • Pike River
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pike River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike River
    • Pike River is located in Bayfield County
  • Hawthorne
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorne
    • Hawthorne is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,157 people
  • Sauntry
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauntry
    • Sauntry is located in Douglas County
  • Ino
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ino have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ino
    • Ino is located in Bayfield County
  • Drummond
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drummond have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drummond
    • Drummond is located in Bayfield County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Cutter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutter
      • Cutter is located in Douglas County
    • Moquah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moquah
      • Moquah is located in Bayfield County
    • South Range
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Range
      • South Range is located in Douglas County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wills. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Bayfield County: www.bayfieldcounty.org/

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.5391, Longitude: -91.5394       In this case, the coordinates for Wills have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Wills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024