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 Bright (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 Bright. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Bright is located in Clark 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 Clark County: Chippewa, Eau Claire, Jackson, Marathon, Taylor & Wood.
Below are the counties that are near Bright. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bright:
- Clark County (The home county of Bright)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- Atwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Atwood is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
- Owen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Owen is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 925 people
- Withee
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Withee is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
- Curtiss
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Curtiss is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtiss
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Riplinger
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Riplinger is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riplinger
- Greenwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Greenwood is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 995 people
- Colby
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Colby is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,941 people
- Loyal
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Loyal is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,229 people
- Abbotsford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Abbotsford is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotsford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,225 people
- Reseburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Reseburg is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reseburg
- Dorchester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dorchester is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
- Spokeville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Spokeville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokeville
- Chippewa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- Stanley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Stanley is located in Chippewa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,705 people
- Boyd
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Boyd is located in Chippewa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
- Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
- Cadott
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Cadott is located in Chippewa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,411 people
- Eau Claire County
- Fairchild
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fairchild is located in Eau Claire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairchild
- Population from the 2020 Census: 607 people
- Marathon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- Unity
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Unity is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
- Spencer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Spencer is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,865 people
- Milan
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Milan is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
- Corinth
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Corinth is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
- McMillan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- McMillan is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMillan
- Stratford
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Stratford is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,571 people
- Wien
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Wien is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wien
- Athens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Athens is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,079 people
- Fenwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Fenwood is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Rozellville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Rozellville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozellville
- Edgar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Edgar is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,434 people
- Poniatowski
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Poniatowski is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poniatowski
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- Stetsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stetsonville is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stetsonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 518 people
- Lublin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lublin is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lublin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
- Bellinger
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bellinger is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellinger
- Medford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Medford is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,267 people
- Perkinstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Perkinstown is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkinstown
- Polley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Polley is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polley
- Gilman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Gilman is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
- Hughey ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hughey is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughey
- Chelsea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Chelsea is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
- Interwald
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Interwald is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Interwald
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- Bakerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bakerville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakerville
- Marshfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Marshfield is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,414 people
- Lindsey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lindsey is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
- Hewitt
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hewitt is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 777 people
- Auburndale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Auburndale is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburndale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 658 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bright, see our County-by-County Page for Bright.
Cemeteries Near Bright ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bright.
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 Bright - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bright covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- St. Lukes Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Emanuel Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
- The St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Green Grove Cemetery
- St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2215127 <2>
- Longwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Beaver Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Nazareth Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Curtiss Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Riverside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (106 more) ...
- Trinity Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<3>
While we didn't find Bright in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bright.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bright, with the one closest to Bright listed first.
- Longwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Longwood is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
- Withee
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Withee is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
- Curtiss
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Curtiss is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtiss
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Greenwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Greenwood is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 995 people
- Loyal
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Loyal is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,229 people
- Unity
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Unity is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
- Colby
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Colby is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,941 people
- Abbotsford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Abbotsford is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotsford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,225 people
- Lombard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lombard is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lombard
- Spokeville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Spokeville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokeville
- Dorchester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dorchester is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
- Spencer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Spencer is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,865 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Thorp
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Thorp is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorp
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,604 people
- Veefkind
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Veefkind is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veefkind
- Cherokee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cherokee is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bright. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bright.
Newspapers Published in Bright ...
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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bright.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bright, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<1>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bright.
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 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 Bright:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Clark County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chippewa County
- Eau Claire County
- Marathon County
- Taylor County
- Wood County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bright) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Bright, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |