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 Avoca (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 Avoca. 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.
Avoca is located in Iowa 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 Iowa County: Dane, Grant, Green, Lafayette, Richland & Sauk.
Below are the counties that are near Avoca. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Avoca:
- Iowa County (The home county of Avoca)
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Highland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Centreville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Centreville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Centreville is located in Iowa County
- Former name for Centreville:
- Dry Bone
- Helena
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Helena is located in Iowa County
- Cobb
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south) - Edmund
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmund
- Edmund is located in Iowa County
- Pleasant Ridge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Iowa County
- Linden
(18 miles [29 km] to the south) - Dodgeville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodgeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Dodgeville is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,677 people
- Hyde
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde
- Hyde is located in Iowa County
- Arena
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
- Arena is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
- Ridgeway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast) - Cassell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Boydtown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boydtown
- Boydtown is located in Crawford County
- Soldiers Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Soldiers Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldiers Grove
- Soldiers Grove is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
- Bell Center
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bell Center. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Center
- Bell Center is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 114 people
- Petersburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Petersburg is located in Crawford County
- Steuben
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steuben
- Steuben is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Gays Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gays Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays Mills
- Gays Mills is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
- Wauzeka
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Dane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Mazomanie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east) - Elvers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east) - Blue Mounds
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Mounds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mounds
- Blue Mounds is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 990 people
- Black Earth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Earth
- Black Earth is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,422 people
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Muscoda
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Blue River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue River
- Blue River is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
- Montfort
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montfort
- Montfort is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 675 people
- Preston
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest) - Boscobel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west) - Livingston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livingston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
- Livingston is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Annaton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annaton
- Annaton is located in Grant County
- Fennimore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fennimore
- Fennimore is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,469 people
- Stitzer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stitzer
- Stitzer is located in Grant County
- Woodman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west) - Mount Ida
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest) - Lancaster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
- Lancaster is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,700 people
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Lone Rock
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east) - Sextonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sextonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sextonville
- Sextonville is located in Richland County
- Balmoral
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Aubrey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aubrey
- Aubrey is located in Richland County
- Ithaca
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north) - Richland Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Center
- Richland Center is located in Richland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,949 people
- Bear Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Bear Valley is located in Richland County
- Neptune
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
- Neptune is located in Richland County
- Boaz
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest) - Westport
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Gillingham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillingham
- Gillingham is located in Richland County
- Hub City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sauk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Spring Green
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Green have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Green
- Spring Green is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
- Plain
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast) - Sandusky
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast) - Leland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast) - Lime Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Ridge
- Lime Ridge is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
- Loganville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loganville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
- Loganville is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
- Witwen
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witwen
- Witwen is located in Sauk County
- Denzer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denzer
- Denzer is located in Sauk County
- Ironton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north) - La Valle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Valle
- La Valle is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 360 people
- Rock Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Rock Springs is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
- North Freedom
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Freedom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Freedom
- North Freedom is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 690 people
- Vernon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Readstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest) - White City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- White City is located in Vernon County
- Liberty
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Avoca, see our County-by-County Page for Avoca.
Cemeteries Near Avoca ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Avoca.
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 Avoca covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Avoca Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Avoca Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Avoca Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Button Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Button Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Button Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Indian Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- North Otter Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Otter Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Otter Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lone Rock Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Rock Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1978341 <3>
- Ash Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ash Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ash Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Malachy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Malachy Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Malachy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mayfield Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mayfield Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mayfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sextonville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sextonville Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sextonville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oak Ridge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Ridge Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Dawson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dawson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dawson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (212 more) ...
- Blabaum Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blabaum Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blabaum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bear Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bear Valley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bear Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Blabaum 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 Avoca had a population of 278 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Avoca had a population of 620 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Avoca, with the one closest to Avoca listed first.
- Gotham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast) - Twin Bluffs
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Bluffs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Bluffs
- Twin Bluffs is located in Richland County
- Orion
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Muscoda
(5 miles [8 km] to the west) - Sextonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sextonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sextonville
- Sextonville is located in Richland County
- Balmoral
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west) - Highland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south) - Richland Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Center
- Richland Center is located in Richland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,949 people
- Bear Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Bear Valley is located in Richland County
- Ithaca
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north) - Basswood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest) - Wyoming
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Continue List (15 more) ...
- Keyesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keyesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyesville
- Keyesville is located in Richland County
- Byrds Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byrds Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byrds Creek
- Byrds Creek is located in Richland County
- Centreville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Centreville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Centreville is located in Iowa County
- Former name for Centreville:
- Dry Bone
- Keyesville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Avoca. See our List of 1890's Communities around Avoca.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Avoca ...
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 149 newspapers that have been published in the area around Avoca.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Avoca. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Avoca and those printed in the larger area surrounding Avoca.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Avoca.
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 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 Avoca:
- 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 Iowa County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Crawford County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dane County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Grant County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Richland County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sauk County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Vernon County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Crawford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Iowa County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Avoca. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Iowa County: www.iowacounty.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> | 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> | 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 Avoca, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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- Avoca) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Avoca. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.1883, Longitude: -90.3254 In this case, the coordinates for Avoca have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |