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 Cross Plains (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 Cross Plains. 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 Cross Plains ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Cross Plains: Cross Plns.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Cross Plains. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Cross Plains.

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 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.

Cross Plains is located in Dane 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 Dane County: Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock & Sauk.

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

Dane County (The home county of Cross Plains)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Ashton
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  - Ashton is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
- Marxville
  (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  - Marxville is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marxville
- Martinsville
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  - Martinsville is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Black Earth
  (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  - Black Earth is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Earth
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,422 people
- Ashton Corners
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  - Ashton Corners is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton Corners
- Klevenville
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  - Klevenville is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klevenville
- Middleton
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  - Middleton is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 20,195 people
- Pheasant Branch
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  - Pheasant Branch is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pheasant Branch
- Mazomanie
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  - Mazomanie is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazomanie
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,715 people
- Mount Horeb
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  - Mount Horeb is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Horeb
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 7,563 people
- Elvers
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  - Elvers is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elvers
- Pilgrim Village
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  - Pilgrim Village is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim Village
- Shorewood Hills
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  - Shorewood Hills is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorewood Hills
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,999 people
Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Lodi
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  - Lodi is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 3,109 people
- Okee
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  - Okee is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okee
- Harmony Grove
  (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  - Harmony Grove is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove
- Lake Wisconsin
  (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  - Lake Wisconsin is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wisconsin
- Arlington
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  - Arlington is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 818 people
- Durwards Glen ‑ Historic
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  - Durwards Glen is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durwards Glen
- North Leeds
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  - North Leeds is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leeds
- Poynette
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  - Poynette is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poynette
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 2,508 people
- Keyeser
  (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  - Keyeser is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyeser
- Rio
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  - Rio is located in Columbia County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,047 people
Green County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Dayton
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  - Dayton is located in Green County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- New Glarus
  (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  - New Glarus is located in Green County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Glarus
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 2,136 people
- Attica
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  - Attica is located in Green County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
- Monticello
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  - Monticello is located in Green County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,185 people
- Mineral Point
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  - Mineral Point is located in Green County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Point
- Albany
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  - Albany is located in Green County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 977 people
Iowa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Cassell
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  - Cassell is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassell
- Arena
  (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  - Arena is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
- Barneveld
  (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  - Barneveld is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barneveld
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,252 people
- Hyde
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  - Hyde is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde
- Ridgeway
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  - Ridgeway is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
- Helena
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  - Helena is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Hollandale
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  - Hollandale is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollandale
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Pleasant Ridge
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  - Pleasant Ridge is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Moscow
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  - Moscow is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Dodgeville
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  - Dodgeville is located in Iowa County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,677 people
Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Blanchardville
  (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  - Blanchardville is located in Lafayette County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchardville
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 788 people
- Argyle
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  - Argyle is located in Lafayette County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Lone Rock
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  - Lone Rock is located in Richland County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Rock
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 835 people
- Bear Valley
  (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  - Bear Valley is located in Richland County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
Rock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Union
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  - Union is located in Rock County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Cooksville
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  - Cooksville is located in Rock County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Evansville
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  - Evansville is located in Rock County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 5,556 people
Sauk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Plains, with the one closest to Cross Plains listed first.
- Sauk City
  (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  - Sauk City is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauk City
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 3,498 people
- Prairie du Sac village
  (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  - Prairie du Sac village is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Sac village
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 4,426 people
- Witwen
  (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  - Witwen is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witwen
- Merrimac
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  - Merrimac is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 441 people
- Moon Valley
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  - Moon Valley is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moon Valley
- Denzer
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  - Denzer is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denzer
- Leland
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  - Leland is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leland
- Spring Green
  (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  - Spring Green is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Green
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
- Plain
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  - Plain is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 765 people
- Baraboo
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  - Baraboo is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baraboo
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 12,121 people
- West Baraboo
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  - West Baraboo is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Baraboo
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,416 people
- North Freedom
  (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  - North Freedom is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Freedom
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 690 people
- Rock Springs
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  - Rock Springs is located in Sauk County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people

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

Cemeteries Near Cross Plains ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cross Plains.

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 Cross Plains - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

St. Mary of Pine Bluff Catholic Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Mary of Pine Bluff Catholic Church Cemetery
St. Johns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Johns Cemetery
Evergreen Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Hill Cemetery
Sunning Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunning Hill Cemetery
Oak Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Cemetery
Old Black Earth Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Black Earth Cemetery
- The Old Black Earth Cemetery has also been known as:
- George Beaty Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2405349 <1>
Middleton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton Cemetery
Kohlman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kohlman Cemetery
St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Johns Cemetery
North Side Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Side Cemetery
St. Ignatius Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Ignatius Cemetery
Sunset Memory Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Memory Gardens
Continue List (192 more) ...
- St. Bernards Cemetery
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Bernards Cemetery
- Dunlap Cemetery
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap Cemetery
- Union Cemetery
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cross Plains had a population of 371 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Cross Plains had a population of 4,280 people.

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

Pine Bluff
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pine Bluff is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Bluff
West Middleton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- West Middleton is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Middleton
Ashton
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ashton is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
Black Earth
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Black Earth is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Earth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,422 people
Marxville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Marxville is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marxville
Klevenville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Klevenville is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klevenville
Riley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Riley is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
Springfield Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Springfield Corners is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield Corners
Middleton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Middleton is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,195 people
Elvers
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Elvers is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elvers
Mount Horeb
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Horeb is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Horeb
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,563 people
Pheasant Branch
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Pheasant Branch is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pheasant Branch
Continue List (15 more) ...
- Mazomanie
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  - Mazomanie is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazomanie
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 1,715 people
- Roxbury
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  - Roxbury is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Verona
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  - Verona is located in Dane County
  - Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
  - Population from the 2020 Census: 13,539 people

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

Newspapers Published in Cross Plains ...

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 227 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cross Plains.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cross Plains, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cross Plains.

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 Cross Plains:

Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the //www.wisconsinhistory.org/

Pages specific to Dane County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails

Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Columbia County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Green County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Iowa County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Lafayette County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Richland County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Rock County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sauk County
  - Jump to Cyndi's List
  - Jump to Family Search
  - Jump to Genealogy Trails

Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Dane County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Dane County

Footnotes ...

<1>	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.
<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 Cross Plains, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>	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- Cross Plains) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.