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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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 and 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.
Bethel is located in Wood County.
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 Wood County: Adams, Clark, Jackson, Juneau, Marathon & Portage.
Below are the counties that are near Bethel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethel:
- Wood County (The home county of Bethel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Arpin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Arpin is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arpin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
- Hewitt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hewitt is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 777 people
- Auburndale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Auburndale is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburndale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 658 people
- Pittsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Pittsville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people
- Vesper
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vesper is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesper
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Bakerville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bakerville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakerville
- Sherry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Sherry is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherry
- Blenker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Blenker is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blenker
- Marshfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marshfield is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,414 people
- Eight Corners
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Eight Corners is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eight Corners
- Lindsey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lindsey is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
- Milladore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Milladore is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milladore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Rudolph
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rudolph is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudolph
- Population from the 2020 Census: 411 people
- Adams County
- New Rome ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- New Rome is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Rome
- Clark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Chili
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Chili is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chili
- Veefkind
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Veefkind is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veefkind
- Granton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Granton is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
- Spokeville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Spokeville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokeville
- Loyal
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Loyal is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,229 people
- Riplinger
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Riplinger is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riplinger
- Neillsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Neillsville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neillsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,375 people
- Colby
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Colby is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,941 people
- Greenwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 995 people
- Globe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Globe is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
- Abbotsford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Abbotsford is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotsford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,225 people
- Atwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Atwood is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- City Point
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- City Point is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City Point
- Pray
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pray is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pray
- Lapham Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lapham Junction is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lapham Junction
- Juneau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- New Miner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- New Miner is located in Juneau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Miner
- Sprague
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sprague is located in Juneau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprague
- Mather
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mather is located in Juneau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mather
- Marathon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- McMillan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- McMillan is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillan
- Rozellville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rozellville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozellville
- Rangeline
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rangeline is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rangeline
- Stratford
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Stratford is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,571 people
- Spencer
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Spencer is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,865 people
- Moon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Moon is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moon
- Fenwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fenwood is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Unity
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Unity is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
- Wien
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Wien is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wien
- Ashley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ashley is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley
- Mosinee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mosinee is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosinee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,195 people
- Edgar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Edgar is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
- Marathon City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Marathon City is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marathon City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,516 people
- Portage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Junction City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Junction City is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 439 people
- Stevens Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Stevens Point is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stevens Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,949 people
- Park Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Park Ridge is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Ridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 496 people
- Whiting
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Whiting is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiting
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,704 people
- Plover
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Plover is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,252 people
- Torun
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Torun is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torun
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethel, see our County-by-County Page for Bethel.
Cemeteries Near Bethel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.
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 Bethel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Indian Bill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- John Ne-Wee Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Arpin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Trinity Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Slidre Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Brook Lawn Memory Garden Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Richfield Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Joachims Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mound Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Faith Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (109 more) ...
- Trinity Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. James Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Auburndale Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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>
While we didn't find Bethel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
- Pittsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Pittsville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people
- Vesper
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vesper is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesper
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Auburndale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Auburndale is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburndale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 658 people
- Hewitt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hewitt is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 777 people
- Bakerville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bakerville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakerville
- Veedum
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Veedum is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veedum
- Sherry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Sherry is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherry
- Blenker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Blenker is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blenker
- Lindsey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lindsey is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
- Walker
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Walker is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Milladore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Milladore is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milladore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Nevins
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Nevins is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevins
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- McMillan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- McMillan is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillan
- Rudolph
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rudolph is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudolph
- Population from the 2020 Census: 411 people
- Rozellville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rozellville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozellville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethel.
Newspapers Published in Bethel ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.
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 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 Bethel:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Wood County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Clark County
- Jackson County
- Juneau County
- Marathon County
- Portage County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
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 Bethel, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bethel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |