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 Franklin (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 Franklin. 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.
Franklin is located in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County: Ozaukee, Racine, Washington & Waukesha.
Below are the counties that are near Franklin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Franklin:
- Milwaukee County (The home county of Franklin)
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Saint Martins
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Martins is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Martins
- Greendale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Greendale is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,127 people
- Hales Corners
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
- Union Church
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Union Church is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Church
- Greenfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Greenfield is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 37,183 people
- Oak Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Oak Creek is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36,469 people
- South Milwaukee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- South Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Milwaukee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,673 people
- West Allis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- West Allis is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Allis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 59,748 people
- West Milwaukee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- West Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milwaukee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,090 people
- Cudahy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cudahy is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cudahy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,077 people
- Saint Francis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Francis is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Francis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,725 people
- Milwaukee
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milwaukee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 589,067 people
- Wauwatosa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Wauwatosa is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauwatosa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48,084 people
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Palmyra
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Palmyra is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
- Sullivan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sullivan is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
- Kenosha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Brighton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Brighton is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Paris
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Paris is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Somers
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Somers is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
- Bristol
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bristol is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,145 people
- Paddock Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Paddock Lake is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,232 people
- Woodworth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Woodworth is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
- Kenosha
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kenosha is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenosha
- Population from the 2020 Census: 99,570 people
- Salem Lakes
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Salem Lakes is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Lakes
- Former names for Salem Lakes:
- Salem
- Silver Lake
- Fox River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fox River is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox River
- Camp Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Camp Lake is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Lake
- Pleasant Prairie
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Prairie is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Prairie
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,373 people
- Slades Corners
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Slades Corners is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slades Corners
- Lake Shangrila
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lake Shangrila is located in Kenosha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shangrila
- Ozaukee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Mequon
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mequon is located in Ozaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mequon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,765 people
- Freistadt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Freistadt is located in Ozaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freistadt
- Thiensville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Thiensville is located in Ozaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thiensville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,116 people
- Cedarburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cedarburg is located in Ozaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,783 people
- Grafton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Grafton is located in Ozaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,758 people
- Ulao
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Ulao is located in Ozaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulao
- Racine County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Kneeland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kneeland is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kneeland
- Raymond
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Raymond is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
- Caledonia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Caledonia is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,235 people
- Wind Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wind Lake is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wind Lake
- Franksville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Franksville is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franksville
- Yorkville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Yorkville is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
- Mount Pleasant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,048 people
- Wind Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wind Point is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wind Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,685 people
- Eagle Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Eagle Lake is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
- Waterford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Waterford is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
- Caldwell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Caldwell is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- North Bay
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- North Bay is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
- Rochester
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rochester is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,880 people
- Walworth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Lake Beulah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Lake Beulah is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Beulah
- Potter Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Potter Lake is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Lake
- Voree ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Voree is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voree
- East Troy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- East Troy is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Troy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,307 people
- Troy Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Troy Center is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy Center
- Lyons
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lyons is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
- Spring Prairie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Prairie is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Prairie
- Bowers
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bowers is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowers
- Springfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Springfield is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Adams
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Adams is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Little Prairie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Little Prairie is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Prairie
- Lauderdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lauderdale is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Lake Geneva
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Geneva is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Geneva
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,096 people
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Germantown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Germantown is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,057 people
- Lake Five
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Five is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Five
- Richfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Richfield is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richfield
- Estimated population in 2015: 11,530 people
- Rockfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Rockfield is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockfield
- Rugby Junction
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rugby Junction is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby Junction
- Waukesha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Durham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Durham is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
- Tess Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Tess Corners is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tess Corners
- Muskego
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Muskego is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskego
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,317 people
- New Berlin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Berlin is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Berlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,812 people
- Prospect
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Prospect is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
- Big Bend
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Big Bend is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
- Calhoun
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Calhoun is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Elm Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Elm Grove is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,137 people
- Vernon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Vernon is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Brookfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Brookfield is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,164 people
- Waukesha
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waukesha is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waukesha
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72,376 people
- Butler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Butler is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,795 people
- Mukwonago
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Mukwonago is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mukwonago
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,107 people
- Lake County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Fossland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Fossland is located in Lake County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fossland
- Russell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Russell is located in Lake County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Antioch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Channel Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Channel Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channel Lake
- Lake Catherine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lake Catherine is located in Lake County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
- Winthrop Harbor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Franklin, see our County-by-County Page for Franklin.
Cemeteries Near Franklin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Franklin.
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 Franklin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Franklin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- St. Peters Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- St. Martin of Tours Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Luther Parker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Independent Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- St. James Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Oak Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Chapel Hill Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Joseph Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Milwaukee.
- The St. Joseph Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Josephs Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #273529 <2>
- Continue List (221 more) ...
- Lavise Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- McPherson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- St. Stephens Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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 Franklin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Franklin.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Franklin, with the one closest to Franklin listed first.
- Saint Martins
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Martins is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Martins
- Durham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Durham is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durham
- Union Church
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Union Church is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Church
- Kneeland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kneeland is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kneeland
- Oakwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Hales Corners
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
- Raymond
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Raymond is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
- Tess Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Tess Corners is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tess Corners
- Muskego
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Muskego is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskego
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,317 people
- Kilbournville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kilbournville is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbournville
- Caledonia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Caledonia is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,235 people
- Thompsonville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Thompsonville is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsonville
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Husher
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Husher is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Husher
- Oak Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Oak Creek is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 36,469 people
- South Milwaukee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- South Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Milwaukee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 20,673 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Franklin. See our List of 1890's Communities around Franklin.
Newspapers Published in Franklin ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Franklin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Franklin, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Franklin.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Franklin:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Milwaukee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Jefferson County
- Kenosha County
- Ozaukee County
- Racine County
- Walworth County
- Washington County
- Waukesha County
- Lake County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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- Franklin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Franklin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |