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 Independence (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 Independence. 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 southeast 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 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.
Independence is located in Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau County: Winona (MN), Buffalo, Eau Claire, Jackson & La Crosse.
Below are the counties that are near Independence. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Independence:
- Trempealeau County (The home county of Independence)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- New City ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest) - Whitehall
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Russell
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Russell is located in Trempealeau County
- Coral City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral City
- Coral City is located in Trempealeau County
- Arcadia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Arcadia is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,026 people
- Blair
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Pigeon Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon Falls
- Pigeon Falls is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Strum
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strum
- Strum is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,071 people
- Eleva
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleva
- Eleva is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 661 people
- Frenchville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchville
- Frenchville is located in Trempealeau County
- Ettrick
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast) - Osseo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Buffalo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Lookout
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookout
- Lookout is located in Buffalo County
- Montana
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west) - Gilmanton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmanton
- Gilmanton is located in Buffalo County
- Waumandee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waumandee
- Waumandee is located in Buffalo County
- Mondovi
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest) - Springdale ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
- Springdale is located in Buffalo County
- Marshland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south) - Fountain City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain City
- Fountain City is located in Buffalo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 842 people
- Bluff Siding
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bluff Siding have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Siding
- Bluff Siding is located in Buffalo County
- Cochrane
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrane
- Cochrane is located in Buffalo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
- Buffalo City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo City
- Buffalo City is located in Buffalo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 948 people
- Alma
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Alma is located in Buffalo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
- Clark County
- Humbird
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humbird
- Humbird is located in Clark County
- Humbird
- Dunn County
- Rock Falls
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Falls
- Rock Falls is located in Dunn County
- Rock Falls
- Eau Claire County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Allen
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Allen is located in Eau Claire County
- Hay Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay Creek
- Hay Creek is located in Eau Claire County
- Augusta
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast) - Fall Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fall Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Creek
- Fall Creek is located in Eau Claire County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,291 people
- Lufkin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lufkin
- Lufkin is located in Eau Claire County
- Fairchild
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast) - Altoona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north) - Shawtown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Taylor
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east) - York
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast) - Sechlerville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sechlerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sechlerville
- Sechlerville is located in Jackson County
- Hixton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hixton
- Hixton is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
- Requa
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Requa
- Requa is located in Jackson County
- North Bend
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bend
- North Bend is located in Jackson County
- Alma Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma Center
- Alma Center is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 491 people
- Melrose
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Melrose is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Black River Falls
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black River Falls
- Black River Falls is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,454 people
- Merrillan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- La Crosse County
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Mindoro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mindoro
- Mindoro is located in La Crosse County
- Brice Prairie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brice Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brice Prairie
- Brice Prairie is located in La Crosse County
- Holmen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south) - Midway
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Midway is located in La Crosse County
- Wabasha County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Minneiska
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneiska
- Minneiska is located in Wabasha County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 108 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minneiska <2>
- Weaver
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
- Weaver is located in Wabasha County (MN)
- Kellogg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kellogg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellogg
- Kellogg is located in Wabasha County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 460 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kellogg <2>
- Wabasha
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wabasha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabasha
- Wabasha is located in Wabasha County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,467 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wabasha <2>
- Winona County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Homer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south) - Goodview
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest) - Minnesota City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minnesota City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnesota City
- Minnesota City is located in Winona County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 186 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minnesota City <2>
- Winona
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
- Winona is located in Winona County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,545 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona <2>
- Lamoille
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamoille
- Lamoille is located in Winona County (MN)
- Rollingstone
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rollingstone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollingstone
- Rollingstone is located in Winona County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rollingstone <2>
- Stockton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Independence, see our County-by-County Page for Independence.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Independence ...
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 118 newspapers that have been published in the area around Independence.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Independence. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Independence and those printed in the larger area surrounding Independence.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Independence.
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 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 Independence:
- 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 Trempealeau County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buffalo County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Clark County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dunn County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Eau Claire County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Jackson County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- La Crosse County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Wabasha County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Winona County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Buffalo County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Trempealeau County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Trempealeau County
Cemeteries Near Independence ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Independence.
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 Independence covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Greenwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- 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
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
- Cripps Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cripps Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cripps Cemetery
- Lincoln Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Cemetery
- Tinnes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tinnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tinnes Cemetery
- Wagner Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wagner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wagner Cemetery
- Old Whitehall Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Whitehall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Whitehall Cemetery
- St. Stanislaus Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery
- Carpenter Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carpenter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carpenter Cemetery
- St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2225240 <4>
- Chimney Rock Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- The Chimney Rock Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Chimney Rock Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chimney Rock Lutheran Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1963901 <4>
- Upper Montana Ridge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Upper Montana Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Upper Montana Ridge Cemetery
- Continue List (147 more) ...
- Lower Montana Ridge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Montana Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Montana Ridge Cemetery
- Arcadia Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arcadia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arcadia Cemetery
- Calvary Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
- Lower Montana Ridge 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 Independence had a population of 382 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Independence had a population of 1,291 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Independence, with the one closest to Independence listed first.
- Elk Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north) - Whitehall
(5 miles [8 km] to the east) - Russell
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Russell is located in Trempealeau County
- Arcadia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Arcadia is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,026 people
- Blair
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast) - Hale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Lookout
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookout
- Lookout is located in Buffalo County
- Glencoe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest) - Pigeon Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon Falls
- Pigeon Falls is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Cortland ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest) - Montana
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west) - Strum
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strum
- Strum is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,071 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Waumandee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waumandee
- Waumandee is located in Buffalo County
- York
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast) - Eleva
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleva
- Eleva is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 661 people
- Waumandee
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Independence. See our List of 1890's Communities around Independence.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Independence. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Trempealeau County: www.tremplocounty.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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Independence) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Independence. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.3622, Longitude: -91.4196 In this case, the coordinates for Independence have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Independence, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |