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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 Barron (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 Barron. 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 doctors 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.

Barron is located in Barron County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Wisconsin's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Barron County: Burnett, Chippewa, Dunn, Polk, Rusk, Saint Croix, Sawyer & Washburn.

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

  • Barron County     (The home county of Barron)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • Cameron
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Cameron is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,798 people
    • Hillsdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Poskin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Rice Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Rice Lake is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,498 people
    • Dallas
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Almena
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Almena is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
    • Twin Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Twin Town is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Town
    • Chetek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Chetek is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chetek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
    • Cumberland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cumberland is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,097 people
    • Prairie Farm
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Prairie Farm is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Farm
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
    • Haugen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Haugen is located in Barron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haugen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Turtle Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Burnett County
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • New Auburn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bloomer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Dunn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • Ridgeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Ridgeland is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
    • Wheeler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Wheeler is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Boyceville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Colfax
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Colfax is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people
    • Tainter Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Tainter Lake is located in Dunn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tainter Lake
    • Downing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • Clayton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Clayton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
    • Clear Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Amery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Bunyan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Volga ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Deronda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Clam Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Balsam Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Balsam Lake is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balsam Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 978 people
  • Rusk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • Strickland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Weyerhaeuser
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Weyerhaeuser is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyerhaeuser
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
    • Apollonia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Bruce
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Bruce is located in Rusk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 688 people
  • Saint Croix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • Glenwood City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Glenwood City is located in Saint Croix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,214 people
    • Deer Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Washburn County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Barron, with the one closest to Barron listed first.
    • Nobleton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Birchwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Birchwood is located in Washburn County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 426 people
    • Shell Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Madge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Spooner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Barron ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Barron.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Barron - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Barron covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Wayside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Poskin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Old Hillsdale Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Meadows Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Swede Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • New Scandinavia Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Stanfold Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (115 more) ...
    • Ebenezer Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Glenwood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Dallas Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

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.<1>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Barron had a population of 829 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Barron had a population of 3,235 people.

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

  • Hillsdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Cameron
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Cameron is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,798 people
  • Rice Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Rice Lake is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,498 people
  • Dallas
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Canton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Canton is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
  • Almena
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Almena is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
  • Chetek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Chetek is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chetek
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
  • Prairie Farm
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Prairie Farm is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Farm
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
  • Cumberland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Cumberland is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,097 people
  • Comstock
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Comstock is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
  • Lehigh
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Lehigh is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehigh
  • Haugen
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Haugen is located in Barron County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haugen
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Turtle Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Clayton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Clayton is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
    • Richardson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Richardson is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Barron ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Barron.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Barron. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Barron and those printed in the larger area surrounding Barron.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<2> of Barron.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Barron:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Barron, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Barron) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.