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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 Cold Spring (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 Cold Spring. 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 Cold Spring ...

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 Cold Spring: Cold Spg. (or less commonly used: Cold Spng. or Cold Sprng.)

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Cold Spring is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Dane, Dodge, Rock, Walworth & Waukesha.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Cold Spring)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cold Spring, with the one closest to Cold Spring listed first.
    • Hebron
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hebron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Hebron is located in Jefferson County
    • Fort Atkinson
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Atkinson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Atkinson
      • Fort Atkinson is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,372 people
    • Lake Koshkonong
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Koshkonong have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Koshkonong
      • Lake Koshkonong is located in Jefferson County
    • Jefferson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Jefferson is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,037 people
    • Palmyra
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmyra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Palmyra is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
    • Helenville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rome
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
      • Rome is located in Jefferson County
    • Carcajou
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Johnson Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Sullivan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sullivan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Sullivan is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
    • Farmington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Lake Ripley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Mills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mills
      • Lake Mills is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,014 people
  • Dane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cold Spring, with the one closest to Cold Spring listed first.
    • Cambridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
      • Cambridge is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,538 people
    • Rockdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
      • Rockdale is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
    • Albion
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Deerfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Hanerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Dunkirk
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Stoughton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoughton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoughton
      • Stoughton is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,218 people
    • Door Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Marshall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cottage Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Pierceville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • McFarland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McFarland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McFarland
      • McFarland is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,291 people
    • Stone
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cold Spring, with the one closest to Cold Spring listed first.
    • Ashippun
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Reeseville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Clyman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyman
      • Clyman is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Lowell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
  • Racine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cold Spring, with the one closest to Cold Spring listed first.
    • Caldwell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Honey Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Rochester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Waterford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
      • Waterford is located in Racine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
    • Burlington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Racine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
    • Browns Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browns Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
      • Browns Lake is located in Racine County
  • Rock County
  • Walworth County
  • Waukesha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cold Spring, with the one closest to Cold Spring listed first.
    • Eagle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Eagleville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Ottawa
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ottawa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottawa
      • Ottawa is located in Waukesha County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ottawa
      • From Cold Spring to Ottawa
    • Dousman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dousman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dousman
      • Dousman is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,317 people
    • Summit
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • North Prairie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
      • North Prairie is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,236 people
    • Summit Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Oconomowoc
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oconomowoc have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconomowoc
      • Oconomowoc is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,160 people
    • Genesee Depot
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Genesee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genesee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
      • Genesee is located in Waukesha County
    • Wales
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wales have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
      • Wales is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,651 people
    • Oconomowoc Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oconomowoc Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconomowoc Lake
      • Oconomowoc Lake is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 606 people
  • McHenry County (IL)
  • Winnebago County (IL)
    • South Beloit
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Beloit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Beloit
      • South Beloit is located in Winnebago County (IL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,540 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Beloit <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Cold Spring ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cold Spring.

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

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

  • South Koshkonong Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Union Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Munroe Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Munroe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Munroe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hebron Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebron Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rock River Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McLery Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McLery Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McLery Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (254 more) ...
    • Cushman Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cushman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cushman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Union Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Union Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cold Spring had a population of 48 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Whitewater
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hebron
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hebron have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
    • Hebron is located in Jefferson County
  • Fort Atkinson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Atkinson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Atkinson
    • Fort Atkinson is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,372 people
  • Koshkonong
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Koshkonong have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koshkonong
    • Koshkonong is located in Jefferson County
  • Lima Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Jefferson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
    • Jefferson is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,037 people
  • Palmyra
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmyra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
    • Palmyra is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
  • Oak Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
    • Oak Hill is located in Jefferson County
  • Rome
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
    • Rome is located in Jefferson County
  • Helenville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Heart Prairie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Jefferson Junction
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Junction
    • Jefferson Junction is located in Jefferson County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Cold Spring ...

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 138 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cold Spring.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cold Spring, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cold Spring.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Cold Spring:

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

The official website for Jefferson County: www.jeffersoncountywi.gov

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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 Cold Spring, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cold Spring) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cold Spring. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.8912, Longitude: -88.7743    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025