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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 Howards Grove (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 Howards Grove. 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 Howards Grove ...

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 have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Howards Grove: Howards Grv.
  • While the name of this village is Howards Grove, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Howards Grove may originally have been Howard's Grove.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Howards Grove might be written as Howard Grove.

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

Howards Grove is located in Sheboygan 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 Sheboygan County: Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Ozaukee & Washington.

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

  • Sheboygan County     (The home county of Howards Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howards Grove, with the one closest to Howards Grove listed first.
    • Johnsonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kohler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Sheboygan Falls
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Sheboygan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Rhine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhine
      • Rhine is located in Sheboygan County
    • Ourtown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Plymouth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Elkhart Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhart Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhart Lake
      • Elkhart Lake is located in Sheboygan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
    • Glenbeulah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenbeulah have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbeulah
      • Glenbeulah is located in Sheboygan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
    • Waldo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Oostburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Cascade
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Adell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adell
      • Adell is located in Sheboygan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
  • Brown County
  • Calumet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Howards Grove, with the one closest to Howards Grove listed first.
    • New Holstein
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Chilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Potter
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Calumet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
    • Brant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant
      • Brant is located in Calumet County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brant
      • From Howards Grove to Brant
    • Brothertown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Brillion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brillion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brillion
      • Brillion is located in Calumet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,079 people
    • Hilbert
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilbert have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilbert
      • Hilbert is located in Calumet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
    • Quinney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint John
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Stockbridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockbridge
      • Stockbridge is located in Calumet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
    • Forest Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Fond du Lac County
  • Manitowoc County
  • Ozaukee County
  • Washington County

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

Cemeteries Near Howards Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Howards Grove.

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 Howards Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Paul Friedhol Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Friedhol Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Friedhol Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Paul Evangelical Reform Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Evangelical Reform Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Evangelical Reform Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Concord Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concord Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Peter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Schwartzwald Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Saron Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Saron Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Saron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Luke Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Luke Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Luke Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Wendel Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Saxon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (231 more) ...
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Liberty Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Liberty Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Liberty Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Zoar Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zoar Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zoar Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Howards Grove had a population of 198 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Howards Grove had a population of 3,279 people.

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

  • Mosel
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mosel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosel
    • Mosel is located in Sheboygan County
  • Ada
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
    • Ada is located in Sheboygan County
  • Franklin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
    • Franklin is located in Sheboygan County
  • Johnsonville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Meeme
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meeme have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeme
    • Meeme is located in Manitowoc County
  • Cleveland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Sheboygan Falls
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Sheboygan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rhine
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhine
    • Rhine is located in Sheboygan County
  • School Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Millhome
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Osman
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Louis Corners
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Weedens
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weedens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weedens
      • Weedens is located in Sheboygan County
    • Glenbeulah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenbeulah have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbeulah
      • Glenbeulah is located in Sheboygan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people

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

Newspapers Published in Howards Grove ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Howards Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Howards Grove, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Howards Grove.

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 Howards Grove:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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 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.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Howards Grove) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Howards Grove. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.8356, Longitude: -87.8204    
<5>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.
<6>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 Howards Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.