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 Downing (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 Downing. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Downing is located in Dunn 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 Dunn County: Barron, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk & Saint Croix.
Below are the counties that are near Downing. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Downing:
- Dunn County (The home county of Downing)
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Boyceville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyceville
- Boyceville is located in Dunn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,124 people
- Knapp
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knapp
- Knapp is located in Dunn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
- Wheeler
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Tainter Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tainter Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tainter Lake
- Tainter Lake is located in Dunn County
- Ridgeland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast) - Menomonie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast) - Colfax
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east) - Eau Galle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Galle
- Eau Galle is located in Dunn County
- Elk Mound
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast) - Falls City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falls City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
- Falls City is located in Dunn County
- Dunnville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnville
- Dunnville is located in Dunn County
- Meridean
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridean
- Meridean is located in Dunn County
- Barron County
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Prairie Farm
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prairie Farm have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie Farm
- Prairie Farm is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
- Dallas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast) - Twin Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north) - Turtle Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Lake
- Turtle Lake is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 990 people
- Almena
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north) - Poskin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poskin
- Poskin is located in Barron County
- Barron
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barron
- Barron is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
- Chetek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Chippewa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Albertville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albertville
- Albertville is located in Chippewa County
- New Auburn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Auburn
- New Auburn is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 576 people
- Pepin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Arkansaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arkansaw
- Arkansaw is located in Pepin County
- Durand
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durand
- Durand is located in Pepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,789 people
- Pierce County
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Spring Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Spring Valley is located in Pierce County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,323 people
- Elmwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the south) - Olivet
(18 miles [29 km] to the south) - Martell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martell
- Martell is located in Pierce County
- El Paso
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Paso
- El Paso is located in Pierce County
- Waverly
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Waverly is located in Pierce County
- Morton Corner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corner
- Morton Corner is located in Pierce County
- Ellsworth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest) - River Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Falls
- River Falls is located in Pierce County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,306 people
- Plum City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south) - Trimbelle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Clear Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
- Clear Lake is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,099 people
- Clayton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north) - Amery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amery
- Amery is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,799 people
- Deronda
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deronda
- Deronda is located in Polk County
- Volga ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest) - Horse Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
- Horse Creek is located in Polk County
- Saint Croix County
- The following are listed by their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Glenwood City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenwood City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood City
- Glenwood City is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,214 people
- Wilson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Wilson is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
- Hersey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
- Hersey is located in Saint Croix County
- Woodville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Woodville is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,351 people
- Baldwin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Baldwin is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,078 people
- Deer Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Park
- Deer Park is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Erin Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin Corner
- Erin Corner is located in Saint Croix County
- Hammond
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Hammond is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,890 people
- New Richmond
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
- New Richmond is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,730 people
- Roberts
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roberts
- Roberts is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,018 people
- Star Prairie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Prairie
- Star Prairie is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
- Burkhardt
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west) - Somerset
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Downing, see our County-by-County Page for Downing.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Downing ...
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 100 newspapers that have been published in the area around Downing.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Downing. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Downing and those printed in the larger area surrounding Downing.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Downing.
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 Downing:
- 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 Dunn County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barron County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Chippewa County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Pepin County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Pierce County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Polk County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Saint Croix County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Barron County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Dunn County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Dunn County
Cemeteries Near Downing ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Downing.
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 Downing covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Mound Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mound Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mound Cemetery
- St. Johns Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
- Tiffany Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tiffany Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tiffany Cemetery
- Oakwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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
- St. Bridget's Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Bridget's Cemetery is located outside and to the northwest of Wilson.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bridget's Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #88909 <4>
- Greenwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
- Forest Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Hill Cemetery
- New Haven Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Haven Cemetery
- Sunset Memorial Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery
- Lone Pine Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Pine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
- Teegarden Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Teegarden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Teegarden Cemetery
- Sherman Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sherman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sherman Cemetery
- Continue List (160 more) ...
- Hay River Twp. Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- The Hay River Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hay River Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hay River Twp. Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2352805 <4>
- Tramway Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tramway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tramway Cemetery
- Our Saviors Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Saviors Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Saviors Cemetery
- Hay River Twp. 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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Downing had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Downing had a population of 262 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Downing, with the one closest to Downing listed first.
- Boyceville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyceville
- Boyceville is located in Dunn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,124 people
- Hersey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
- Hersey is located in Saint Croix County
- Wilson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Wilson is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
- Knapp
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knapp
- Knapp is located in Dunn County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
- Emerald
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west) - Woodville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Woodville is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,351 people
- Wheeler
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east) - Cylon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest) - Baldwin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Baldwin is located in Saint Croix County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,078 people
- Wildwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest) - Hatchville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatchville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchville
- Hatchville is located in Dunn County
- Menomonie Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menomonie Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menomonie Junction
- Menomonie Junction is located in Dunn County
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Spring Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Spring Valley is located in Pierce County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,323 people
- North Menomonie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Menomonie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Menomonie
- North Menomonie is located in Dunn County
- Cedar Falls
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Falls
- Cedar Falls is located in Dunn County
- Spring Valley
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Downing. See our List of 1890's Communities around Downing.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Downing. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Dunn County: www.dunncountywi.govoffice2.com/
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> | 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- Downing) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Downing. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0463, Longitude: -92.1326 |
| <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 Downing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |