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 Island Lake (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 Island Lake. 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 Island Lake ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Island Lake: Island Lk.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.
Island Lake is located in Rusk 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 Rusk County: Barron, Chippewa, Price, Sawyer, Taylor & Washburn.
Below are the counties that are near Island Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Island Lake:
- Rusk County (The home county of Island Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Weyerhaeuser
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weyerhaeuser have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyerhaeuser
- Weyerhaeuser is located in Rusk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
- Apollonia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollonia
- Apollonia is located in Rusk County
- Bruce
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Strickland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
- Strickland is located in Rusk County
- Port Arthur
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Arthur
- Port Arthur is located in Rusk County
- Conrath
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east) - Ladysmith
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast) - Sheldon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east) - Tony
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast) - Glen Flora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Flora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Flora
- Glen Flora is located in Rusk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Ingram
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Barron County
- The following are listed by their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Chetek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west) - Cameron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west) - Rice Lake
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest) - Dallas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
- Dallas is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Hillsdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Hillsdale is located in Barron County
- Barron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barron
- Barron is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
- Haugen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest) - Poskin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poskin
- Poskin is located in Barron County
- Prairie Farm
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)- 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
- Chippewa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- New Auburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Auburn
- New Auburn is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 576 people
- Cornell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast) - Bloomer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomer
- Bloomer is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,508 people
- Estella
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast) - Eagleton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleton
- Eagleton is located in Chippewa County
- Drywood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drywood
- Drywood is located in Chippewa County
- Chippewa Falls
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Falls
- Chippewa Falls is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,407 people
- Irvine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south) - Lake Wissota
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Wissota have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wissota
- Lake Wissota is located in Chippewa County
- Cadott
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast) - Albertville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albertville
- Albertville is located in Chippewa County
- Lake Hallie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hallie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hallie
- Lake Hallie is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,779 people
- Boyd
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dunn County
- The following are listed by their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Ridgeland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west) - Colfax
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sawyer County
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Jump River
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jump River
- Jump River is located in Taylor County
- Gilman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
- Gilman is located in Taylor County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 390 people
- Polley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polley
- Polley is located in Taylor County
- Washburn County
- The following are listed by their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Birchwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north) - Nobleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Island Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Island Lake.
Cemeteries Near Island Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Island Lake.
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 Island Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Island Lake Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Island Lake Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Island Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mud Lake Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mud Lake Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mud Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Twin Lakes Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Twin Lakes Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Twin Lakes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Weyerhauser Protestant Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weyerhauser Protestant Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weyerhauser Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Tillinghast Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tillinghast Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tillinghast Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Francis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Francis Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Apollonia Catholic Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Apollonia Catholic Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Apollonia Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Apollonia Protestant Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Apollonia Protestant Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Apollonia Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Polish Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Polish Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Polish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rufledt Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rufledt Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #88867 <3>
- Assumption Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Assumption Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Assumption Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (109 more) ...
- Johnson Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Duncan Creek Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duncan Creek Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #87799 <3>
- Bruce Protestant Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bruce Protestant Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bruce Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Johnson 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.<4>
While we didn't find Island Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Island Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Island Lake, with the one closest to Island Lake listed first.
- Lehigh
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest) - Chetek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west) - Canton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest) - Estella
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast) - Eagleton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleton
- Eagleton is located in Chippewa County
- Sand Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Creek
- Sand Creek is located in Dunn County
- Eagle Point
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Point
- Eagle Point is located in Chippewa County
- Cameron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west) - Drywood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drywood
- Drywood is located in Chippewa County
- Rice Lake
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest) - Dallas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
- Dallas is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Huron
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast) - Continue List (10 more) ...
- Hillsdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Hillsdale is located in Barron County
- Barron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barron
- Barron is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
- Chippewa Falls
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Falls
- Chippewa Falls is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,407 people
- Hillsdale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Island Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Island Lake.
Newspapers Published in Island Lake ...
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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Island Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Island Lake, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Island Lake.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Island Lake:
- 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 Rusk County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barron County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Chippewa County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dunn County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sawyer County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Taylor County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Washburn County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Barron County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Rusk County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Island Lake. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Rusk County: www.ruskcounty.org/
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 Island Lake, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Island Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Island Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.3189, Longitude: -91.3690 In this case, the coordinates for Island Lake have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |