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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 Bristol (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 Bristol. 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.

Bristol is located in Kenosha 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 Kenosha County: Lake (IL), McHenry (IL), Racine & Walworth.

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

  • Kenosha County     (The home county of Bristol)
  • Milwaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Union Church
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Franklin is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,925 people
    • Saint Martins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Oak Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Greendale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Greendale is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,127 people
    • Hales Corners
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
    • South Milwaukee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Cudahy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Cudahy is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cudahy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,077 people
    • Greenfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Saint Francis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Racine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Union Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Union Grove is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
    • Eagle Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Eagle Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
    • Yorkville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Yorkville is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Sturtevant
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bohners Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Bohners Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
    • Mount Pleasant
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,048 people
    • Browns Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Browns Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
    • Elmwood Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Burlington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Burlington is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
    • Franksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Franksville is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franksville
    • Rochester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Raymond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Walworth County
  • Waukesha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Durham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Big Bend
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Big Bend is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
    • Muskego
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Muskego is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskego
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,317 people
    • Tess Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Mukwonago
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Mukwonago is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mukwonago
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,107 people
    • Vernon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Vernon is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Prospect
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • New Berlin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Eagleville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Eagle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cook County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Barrington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Capri Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Capri Village is located in Cook County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capri Village
    • Barrington Hills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Barrington Hills is located in Cook County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
    • Inverness
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Palatine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Wheeling
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lake County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Antioch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Antioch is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,174 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <1>
    • Fossland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Catherine
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Catherine is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
    • Channel Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Channel Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channel Lake
    • Russell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Villa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Lindenhurst
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Lindenhurst is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenhurst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,117 people
      • Lindenhurst has also been known as:
      • Lindenhurst village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindenhurst <1>
    • Millburn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Old Mill Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fox Lake Hills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Fox Lake Hills is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Lake Hills
    • Beach Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Fox Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • McHenry County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bristol, with the one closest to Bristol listed first.
    • Spring Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pistakee Highlands
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Pistakee Highlands is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pistakee Highlands
    • Solon Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Richmond
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sunnyside
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sunnyside is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
    • Johnsburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakemoor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lakemoor is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakemoor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,912 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakemoor <1>
    • Ringwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • McCullom Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • McCullom Lake is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullom Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
    • McHenry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • McHenry is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHenry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,100 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McHenry <1>
    • Wonder Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Wonder Lake is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonder Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,837 people
      • Wonder Lake has also been known as:
      • Wonder Lake village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wonder Lake <1>
    • Greenwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenwood is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people

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

Cemeteries Near Bristol ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bristol.

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 Bristol - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bristol - Paris Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Liberty Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hosmer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • North Bristol Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • South Bristol Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Paris Corners Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Hickory Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • St. Francis Xavier Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Johns Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Salem Mound Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (247 more) ...
    • Vale Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Wilmot Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Holy Name of Jesus Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bristol had a population of 107 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bristol had a population of 5,145 people.

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

  • Woodworth
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Salem Lakes
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Paris
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Camp Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
  • Antioch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Antioch is located in Lake County (IL)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,174 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <1>
  • Brighton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Fox River
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Loon Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Loon Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loon Lake
  • Truesdell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Truesdell is located in Kenosha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truesdell
  • Union Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Union Grove is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
  • Grass Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Grass Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Lake
  • Rosecrans
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosecrans is located in Lake County (IL)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosecrans
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Russell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasant Prairie
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Prairie is located in Kenosha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,373 people
    • Lake Villa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Bristol ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bristol.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bristol, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bristol.

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 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 Bristol:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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 Bristol, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Bristol) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.