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 Branch (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 Branch. 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.
Branch is located in Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc County: Brown, Calumet, Kewaunee & Sheboygan.
Below are the counties that are near Branch. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Branch:
- Manitowoc County (The home county of Branch)
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Kellners Corners
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Whitelaw
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Rockwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Reifs Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Francis Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Alverno
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cato
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Shoto
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Kellnersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Taus
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Madsen
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Clarks Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brown County
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Wayside
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Denmark
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lark
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fontenoy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Morrison
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morrison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Morrison is located in Brown County
- Glenmore
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glenmore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmore
- Glenmore is located in Brown County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Glenmore
- From Branch to Glenmore
- Pine Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Askeaton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Poland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Greenleaf
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bellevue
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bellevue Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue Town
- Bellevue Town is located in Brown County
- Calumet County
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Brillion
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brillion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brillion
- Brillion is located in Calumet County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,079 people
- Potter
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
- Potter is located in Calumet County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
- Hayton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hilbert
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilbert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilbert
- Hilbert is located in Calumet County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
- New Holstein
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Holstein have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Holstein
- New Holstein is located in Calumet County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,105 people
- Chilton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Brant
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant
- Brant is located in Calumet County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Brant
- From Branch to Brant
- Dundas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Saint John
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sherwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sherwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood
- Sherwood is located in Calumet County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,040 people
- Harrison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Fond du Lac County
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Garnet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Calumetville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Cloud
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kewaunee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Bolt
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Curran
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curran. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curran
- Curran is located in Kewaunee County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Curran
- From Branch to Curran
- Stangelville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Krok
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Krok. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krok
- Krok is located in Kewaunee County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Krok
- From Branch to Krok
- Pilsen
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ellisville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ellisville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisville
- Ellisville is located in Kewaunee County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Ellisville
- From Branch to Ellisville
- Kewaunee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Luxemburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luxemburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxemburg
- Luxemburg is located in Kewaunee County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,577 people
- Casco
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Outagamie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Combined Locks
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Little Chute
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Kimberly
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Freedom
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sheboygan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Howards Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howards Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howards Grove
- Howards Grove is located in Sheboygan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,279 people
- Johnsonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Elkhart Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhart Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhart Lake
- Elkhart Lake is located in Sheboygan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
- Sheboygan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Glenbeulah
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenbeulah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbeulah
- Glenbeulah is located in Sheboygan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
- Kohler
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Sheboygan Falls
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Plymouth
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Branch, see our County-by-County Page for Branch.
Cemeteries Near Branch ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Branch.
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 Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Branch Evergreen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- St. Augustine Catholic Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- St. Michaels Catholic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Manitowoc County Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Knollwood Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kossuth Evergreen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kossuth Baptist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- St. Anne Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Kossuth Cemetery #1
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hubbard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kossuth National Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (239 more) ...
- Gjerpen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Branch had a population of 118 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Branch, with the one closest to Branch listed first.
- Alverno
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Francis Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cato
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Taus
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Clarks Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rube
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Newtonburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newtonburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtonburg
- Newtonburg is located in Manitowoc County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Newtonburg
- From Branch to Newtonburg
- Manitowoc
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kingsbridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grimms
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Melnik
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mishicot
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mishicot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mishicot
- Mishicot is located in Manitowoc County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,389 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Larrabee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Rosecrans
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Reedsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Branch. See our List of 1890's Communities around Branch.
Newspapers Published in Branch ...
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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Branch.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Branch, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Branch.
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 helpful 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 Branch:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Manitowoc County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Brown County
- Calumet County
- Fond du Lac County
- Kewaunee County
- Outagamie County
- Sheboygan County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Branch. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Manitowoc County: www.co.manitowoc.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> | 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- Branch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Branch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.1455, Longitude: -87.7612 |
<5> | 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 Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |