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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 Columbia (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 Columbia. 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.

Columbia is located in Clark 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 Clark County: Chippewa, Eau Claire, Jackson, Marathon, Taylor & Wood.

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

  • Clark County     (The home county of Columbia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Neillsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neillsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neillsville
      • Neillsville is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,375 people
    • Humbird
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humbird
      • Humbird is located in Clark County
    • Globe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Globe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
      • Globe is located in Clark County
    • Granton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granton
      • Granton is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
    • Willard
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Clark County
    • Greenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 995 people
    • Loyal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loyal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyal
      • Loyal is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,229 people
    • Chili
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chili
      • Chili is located in Clark County
    • Spokeville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokeville
      • Spokeville is located in Clark County
    • Riplinger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riplinger
      • Riplinger is located in Clark County
    • Reseburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reseburg
      • Reseburg is located in Clark County
    • Atwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
      • Atwood is located in Clark County
    • Owen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owen
      • Owen is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 925 people
  • Crawford County
    • Lynxville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • 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
  • Eau Claire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Fairchild
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairchild have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairchild
      • Fairchild is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 607 people
    • Hay Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay Creek
      • Hay Creek is located in Eau Claire County
    • Augusta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
      • Augusta is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Hatfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
      • Hatfield is located in Jackson County
    • Merrillan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrillan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrillan
      • Merrillan is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
    • Alma Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma Center
      • Alma Center is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 491 people
    • Pray
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pray
      • Pray is located in Jackson County
    • Black River Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black River Falls
      • Black River Falls is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,454 people
    • Hixton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hixton
      • Hixton is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
    • Sechlerville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sechlerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sechlerville
      • Sechlerville is located in Jackson County
    • Requa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Requa
      • Requa is located in Jackson County
    • York
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for York have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
      • York is located in Jackson County
    • Millston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millston
      • Millston is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
    • Taylor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
      • Taylor is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 473 people
    • Melrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
  • Marathon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Spencer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in Marathon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,865 people
    • Unity
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
      • Unity is located in Marathon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
  • Monroe County
    • Warrens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
  • Trempealeau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Osseo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osseo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osseo
      • Osseo is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,671 people
    • Pigeon Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon Falls
      • Pigeon Falls is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
    • Blair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
      • Blair is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,330 people
    • Coral City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral City
      • Coral City is located in Trempealeau County
  • Wood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Columbia, with the one closest to Columbia listed first.
    • Lindsey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsey
      • Lindsey is located in Wood County
    • Bakerville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakerville
      • Bakerville is located in Wood County
    • Marshfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
      • Marshfield is located in Wood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,414 people
    • Pittsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
      • Pittsville is located in Wood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people

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

Newspapers Published in Columbia ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Columbia.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Columbia, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Columbia.

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 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 Columbia:

Cemeteries Near Columbia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Columbia.

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

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

  • Columbia Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Columbia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Columbia Cemetery
  • Dells Dam Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dells Dam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dells Dam Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Levis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Levis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Levis Cemetery
  • North Pine Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Pine Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Pine Valley Cemetery
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
  • Hatfield Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hatfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hatfield Cemetery
  • Neillsville City Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
  • Houghtonburg Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Houghtonburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Houghtonburg Cemetery
  • Komensky Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Komensky Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Komensky Cemetery
  • Weston Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weston Cemetery
  • Continue List   (110 more) ...
    • Mentor Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mentor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mentor Cemetery
    • East Lawn Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Lawn Cemetery
    • St. Mary Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary Cemetery

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.<4>

While we didn't find Columbia in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Columbia.

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

  • Merrillan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrillan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrillan
    • Merrillan is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
  • Hatfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
    • Hatfield is located in Jackson County
  • Neillsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neillsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neillsville
    • Neillsville is located in Clark County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,375 people
  • Humbird
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humbird
    • Humbird is located in Clark County
  • Globe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Globe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe
    • Globe is located in Clark County
  • Waterbury
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterbury
    • Waterbury is located in Jackson County
  • Shortville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shortville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shortville
    • Shortville is located in Clark County
  • Christie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Christie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christie
    • Christie is located in Clark County
  • Alma Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma Center
    • Alma Center is located in Jackson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 491 people
  • Granton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granton
    • Granton is located in Clark County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
  • Fairchild
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairchild have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairchild
    • Fairchild is located in Eau Claire County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 607 people
  • North Branch
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Branch
    • North Branch is located in Jackson County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Pray
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pray
      • Pray is located in Jackson County
    • Lynn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lynn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
      • Lynn is located in Clark County
    • Black River Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black River Falls
      • Black River Falls is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,454 people

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

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

The official website for Clark County: www.co.clark.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>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- Columbia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Columbia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.5164, Longitude: -90.7199       In this case, the coordinates for Columbia have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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>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 Columbia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024