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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 Clifton (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 Clifton. 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.

Clifton is located in Monroe 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 Monroe County: Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse & Vernon.

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

  • Monroe County     (The home county of Clifton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Oakdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Kendall
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
      • Kendall is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
    • Wilton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
    • Shennington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Wyeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Tomah
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Tunnel City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Norwalk
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Oil City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Monroe County
    • Warrens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Melvina
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Quincy ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Strongs Prairie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Arkdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Adams
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Easton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Friendship
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
      • Friendship is located in Adams County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 676 people
    • Plainville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plainville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
      • Plainville is located in Adams County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plainville
      • From Clifton to Plainville
  • Crawford County
    • Lynxville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Millston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lapham Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Juneau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Hustler
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Camp Douglas
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • New Lisbon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Elroy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
      • Elroy is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
    • Mauston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mauston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauston
      • Mauston is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,358 people
    • Union Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Wonewoc
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wonewoc have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonewoc
      • Wonewoc is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 789 people
    • Necedah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lemonweir
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Mather
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Sprague
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sprague. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprague
      • Sprague is located in Juneau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sprague
      • From Clifton to Sprague
    • New Miner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lyndon Station
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyndon Station have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyndon Station
      • Lyndon Station is located in Juneau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
  • La Crosse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Rockland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Middle Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Yuba
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yuba have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
      • Yuba is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Cazenovia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bloom City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Hub City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hub City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hub City
      • Hub City is located in Richland County
    • Viola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
      • Viola is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 665 people
  • Sauk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • La Valle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Ironton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ironton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
      • Ironton is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
    • Reedsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reedsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedsburg
      • Reedsburg is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,500 people
    • Lime Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Vernon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Trippville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trippville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trippville
      • Trippville is located in Vernon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trippville
      • From Clifton to Trippville
    • Mount Tabor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Hillsboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Ontario
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontario have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in Vernon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 561 people
    • White City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Vernon County
    • La Farge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Newry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Westby
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Clifton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clifton.

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 Clifton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Clifton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clifton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clifton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dorset Ridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dorset Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dorset Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fountain Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fountain Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fountain Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Lemonweir Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Lemonweir Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Lemonweir Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ranney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ranney Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ranney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Camp Douglas Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Camp Douglas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Camp Douglas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. James Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sorenson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sorenson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sorenson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakdale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakdale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakdale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dorset Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dorset Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dorset Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zindorf Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zindorf Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zindorf Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Acres Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Acres Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Acres Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (175 more) ...
    • Brewster Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brewster Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brewster Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lone Rock Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Rock Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • East Lemonweir Lutheran Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Lemonweir Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Lemonweir Lutheran 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Clifton had a population of 47 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Hustler
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Oakdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Kendall
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
    • Kendall is located in Monroe County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
  • Camp Douglas
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • New Lisbon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Elroy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
    • Elroy is located in Juneau County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
  • Tomah
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Wyeville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • 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
  • Trippville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trippville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trippville
    • Trippville is located in Vernon County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Trippville
    • From Clifton to Trippville
  • Valley Junction
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Norwalk
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Mount Tabor
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cloverdale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
      • Cloverdale is located in Juneau County
    • Tunnel City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Oil City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Monroe County

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

Newspapers Published in Clifton ...

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 95 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clifton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clifton, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clifton.

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 Clifton:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Clifton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Monroe County: www.co.monroe.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>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 Clifton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Clifton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clifton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.8783, Longitude: -90.3564    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025