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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 Adams (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 Adams. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Adams is located in Adams 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 Adams County: Columbia, Juneau, Marquette, Portage, Sauk, Waushara & Wood.

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

  • Adams County     (The home county of Adams)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Friendship
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
      • Friendship is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 676 people
    • Arkdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Easton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Quincy ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Flats
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Strongs Prairie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Plainville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plainville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
      • Plainville is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plainville
      • From Adams to Plainville
    • Leola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leola
      • Leola is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leola
      • From Adams to Leola
    • New Rome ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Rome. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Rome
      • New Rome is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Rome
      • From Adams to New Rome
  • Columbia County
  • Juneau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Necedah
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Lemonweir
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lyndon Station
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyndon Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyndon Station
      • Lyndon Station is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
    • Mauston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mauston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauston
      • Mauston is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,358 people
    • New Miner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • New Lisbon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Sprague
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sprague. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprague
      • Sprague is located in Juneau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sprague
      • From Adams to Sprague
    • Camp Douglas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Hustler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Mather
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Elroy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
      • Elroy is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
    • Union Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Marquette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Westfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
      • Westfield is located in Marquette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,268 people
    • Oxford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Douglas Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Packwaukee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Endeavor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Endeavor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Endeavor
      • Endeavor is located in Marquette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 464 people
    • Montello
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montello have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montello
      • Montello is located in Marquette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,454 people
    • Glen Oak
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Germania
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Germania. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germania
      • Germania is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Germania
      • From Adams to Germania
    • Neshkoro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neshkoro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshkoro
      • Neshkoro is located in Marquette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Shennington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Clifton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Oakdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Wyeville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wyeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyeville
      • Wyeville is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 141 people
    • Kendall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
      • Kendall is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
    • Valley Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Portage County
    • Almond
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Sauk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Lake Delton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Delton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Delton
      • Lake Delton is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,986 people
    • Reedsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reedsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedsburg
      • Reedsburg is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,500 people
    • La Valle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Waushara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Coloma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coloma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
      • Coloma is located in Waushara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
    • Hancock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hancock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Hancock is located in Waushara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 402 people
    • Plainfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Wautoma
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wautoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wautoma
      • Wautoma is located in Waushara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,114 people
    • Silver Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • 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
  • Wood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Adams, with the one closest to Adams listed first.
    • Nekoosa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Port Edwards
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Grand Rapids
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Lake Wazeecha
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Wisconsin Rapids
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Adams ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Adams.

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

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

  • Mt. Repose Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Repose Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Repose Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Leos Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Leos Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Leos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Arkdale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Arkdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Arkdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cottonville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottonville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottonville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Arkdale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Arkdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Arkdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Arkdale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Arkdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Arkdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dellwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dellwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dellwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gould Rock Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gould Rock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gould Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Indian Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quincy Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quincy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quincy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Easton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Easton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Easton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • Edwardson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edwardson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edwardson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Michaels Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • South Burr Oak Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Burr Oak Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Burr Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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

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

  • Friendship
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
    • Friendship is located in Adams County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 676 people
  • Adams Center ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adams Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Center
    • Adams Center is located in Adams County
  • Arkdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Roche a Cri ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roche a Cri have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roche a Cri
    • Roche a Cri is located in Adams County
  • Grand Marsh
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Marsh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Marsh
    • Grand Marsh is located in Adams County
  • Quincy ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Easton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • White Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Creek
    • White Creek is located in Adams County
  • Pilot Knob ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pilot Knob have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilot Knob
    • Pilot Knob is located in Adams County
  • Strongs Prairie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • New Chester ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Chester
    • New Chester is located in Adams County
  • Monroe Center
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Center
    • Monroe Center is located in Adams County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Lemonweir
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Coloma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coloma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
      • Coloma is located in Waushara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
    • Mauston
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mauston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauston
      • Mauston is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,358 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Adams ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Adams.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Adams. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Adams and those printed in the larger area surrounding Adams.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Adams.

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 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 Adams:

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

The official website for Adams County: www.co.adams.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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Adams, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Adams) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Adams. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.9578, Longitude: -89.8177    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025