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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 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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 west 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.

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)
    • Knapp
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Wheeler
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgeland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeland
      • Ridgeland is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 276 people
    • Menomonie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menomonie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menomonie
      • Menomonie is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,599 people
    • Colfax
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colfax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Colfax is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people
    • Eau Galle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Elk Mound
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mound
      • Elk Mound is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
    • 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)
    • Meridean
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Town
      • Twin Town is located in Barron County
    • Hillsdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Turtle Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Almena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
    • Poskin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Barron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Chetek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chetek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chetek
      • Chetek is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,094 people
  • Chippewa County
  • 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)
    • Durand
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • 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)
    • Elmwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 790 people
    • Olivet
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Olivet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
      • Olivet is located in Pierce County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Olivet
      • From Downing to Olivet
    • Martell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • El Paso
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Waverly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Morton Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Beldenville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellsworth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellsworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Ellsworth is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,272 people
    • River Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Plum City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plum City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum City
      • Plum City is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
    • Trimbelle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trimbelle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimbelle
      • Trimbelle is located in Pierce County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trimbelle
      • From Downing to Trimbelle
  • 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)
    • Clayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Clayton is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 541 people
    • Amery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Deronda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Volga ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Volga. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volga
      • Volga is located in Polk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Volga
      • From Downing to Volga
    • Horse Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • 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)
    • Hersey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Baldwin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Deer Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Erin Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Hammond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • New Richmond
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Roberts
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • 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)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burkhardt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkhardt
      • Burkhardt is located in Saint Croix County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burkhardt
      • From Downing to Burkhardt

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

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)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mound Cemetery
    • 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.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Tiffany Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tiffany Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • 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.
  • St. Bridget's Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Hill Cemetery
    • 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.
  • New Haven Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Haven Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Sunset Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Lone Pine Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Teegarden Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Teegarden Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sherman Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Continue List   (161 more) ...
    • Hay River Twp. Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Tramway Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tramway Cemetery
      • 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.
    • Our Saviors Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Saviors Cemetery
      • 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.

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>

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)
  • Hersey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Wilson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Knapp
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Emerald
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emerald have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald
    • Emerald is located in Saint Croix County
  • Woodville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Wheeler
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Wheeler is located in Dunn County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
  • Cylon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cylon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cylon
    • Cylon is located in Saint Croix County
  • Baldwin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Wildwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
    • Wildwood is located in Saint Croix County
  • 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)
    • 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

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.

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]<5> of Downing.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Downing:

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>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 Downing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025