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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 Black River Falls (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 Black River Falls. 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.

Name Variations for Black River Falls ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Black River Falls: Black Riv. Falls

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Black River Falls is located in Jackson County and is the County Seat.

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 Jackson County: Clark, Eau Claire, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau & Wood.

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Black River Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River Falls, with the one closest to Black River Falls listed first.
    • Alma Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma Center
      • Alma Center is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 491 people
    • Merrillan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrillan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrillan
      • Merrillan is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
    • Hatfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hixton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Sechlerville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Millston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Melrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Taylor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
      • Taylor is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 473 people
    • Lapham Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Pray
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • York
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for York. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
      • York is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to York
      • From Black River Falls to York
    • North Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River Falls, with the one closest to Black River Falls listed first.
    • Humbird
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Neillsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neillsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neillsville
      • Neillsville is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,375 people
    • Globe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Globe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
      • Globe is located in Clark County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Globe
      • From Black River Falls to Globe
    • Granton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Willard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Crawford County
    • Lynxville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynxville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynxville
      • Lynxville is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
  • Eau Claire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River Falls, with the one closest to Black River Falls listed first.
    • Fairchild
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairchild have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairchild
      • Fairchild is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 607 people
    • Hay Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Augusta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
      • Augusta is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
  • Juneau County
  • La Crosse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River Falls, with the one closest to Black River Falls listed first.
    • Mindoro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rockland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Bangor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in La Crosse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
    • West Salem
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Holmen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holmen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmen
      • Holmen is located in La Crosse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,368 people
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River Falls, with the one closest to Black River Falls listed first.
    • Warrens
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warrens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrens
      • Warrens is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
    • Angelo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Sparta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Tunnel City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnel City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel City
      • Tunnel City is located in Monroe County
    • Tomah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tomah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomah
      • Tomah is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,363 people
    • Valley Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Wyeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
  • Trempealeau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River Falls, with the one closest to Black River Falls listed first.
    • Blair
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
      • Blair is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,330 people
    • Pigeon Falls
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Coral City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral City
      • Coral City is located in Trempealeau County
    • Ettrick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ettrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ettrick
      • Ettrick is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 511 people
    • Whitehall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
      • Whitehall is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,565 people
    • Frenchville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Osseo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Galesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Independence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Independence is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,291 people
    • New City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
      • New City is located in Trempealeau County

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

Cemeteries Near Black River Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Black River Falls.

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 Black River Falls covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Riverside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • County Farm Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stiehl Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stiehl Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stiehl Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Decorah Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Decorah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Decorah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Irving Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Irving Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Irving Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Columkille Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Columkille Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Columkille Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • French Creek Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the French Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the French Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Komensky Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Komensky Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Komensky Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hatfield Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hatfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hatfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (127 more) ...
    • Pole Grove Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pole Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pole Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Trinity Rest Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Rest Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Colwell Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colwell Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colwell 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Black River Falls had a population of 2,261 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Black River Falls had a population of 3,454 people.

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

  • Sheppard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheppard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheppard
    • Sheppard is located in Jackson County
  • Irving
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irving have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
    • Irving is located in Jackson County
  • Shamrock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shamrock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamrock
    • Shamrock is located in Jackson County
  • Alma Center
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma Center
    • Alma Center is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 491 people
  • Hatfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Merrillan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrillan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrillan
    • Merrillan is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
  • Hixton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Sechlerville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Lynxville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynxville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynxville
    • Lynxville is located in Crawford County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
  • Millston
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • North Branch
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
    • North Branch is located in Jackson County
  • Melrose
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Waterbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
      • Waterbury is located in Jackson County
    • Cataract
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cataract have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cataract
      • Cataract is located in Monroe County
    • Northfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield
      • Northfield is located in Jackson County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Black River Falls ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Black River Falls.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Black River Falls. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Black River Falls and those printed in the larger area surrounding Black River Falls.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Black River Falls.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Black River Falls:

The official website for Black River Falls: www.blackriverfalls.com/

The official website for Jackson County: www.co.jackson.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>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 Black River Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Black River Falls) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Black River Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.2951, Longitude: -90.8508    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025