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 Jefferson (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 Jefferson. 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.
Jefferson is located in Jefferson County and is the County Seat.
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 Jefferson County: Dane, Dodge, Rock, Walworth & Waukesha.
Below are the counties that are near Jefferson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Jefferson:
- Jefferson County (The home county of Jefferson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Helenville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Helenville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helenville
- Johnson Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Johnson Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,065 people
- Fort Atkinson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Fort Atkinson is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Atkinson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,372 people
- Milford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Milford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
- Lake Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Mills is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,014 people
- Grellton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Grellton is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grellton
- Farmington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Farmington is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Cold Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cold Spring is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Spring
- Hebron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Lake Koshkonong
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Koshkonong is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Koshkonong
- Rome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Rome is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Lake Ripley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Lake Ripley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ripley
- Carcajou
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carcajou is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carcajou
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Columbus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Columbus is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,117 people
- Fall River
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fall River is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,757 people
- Keyeser
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Keyeser is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyeser
- Dane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Cambridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cambridge is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,538 people
- Rockdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Rockdale is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
- Deerfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Deerfield is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,540 people
- Edgerton Beach Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Edgerton Beach Park is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton Beach Park
- Albion
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Albion is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Marshall
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Marshall is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,016 people
- Pierceville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pierceville is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
- Door Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Door Creek is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Door Creek
- Hanerville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hanerville is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanerville
- Cottage Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cottage Grove is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,158 people
- Stoughton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Stoughton is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoughton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,218 people
- Dunkirk
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dunkirk is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkirk
- Hope
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hope is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Dodge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Reeseville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Reeseville is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeseville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 673 people
- Ashippun
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ashippun is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashippun
- Clyman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Clyman is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
- Lowell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lowell is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
- Astico
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Astico is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astico
- Hustisford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hustisford is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hustisford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,060 people
- Neosho
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Neosho is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neosho
- Population from the 2020 Census: 543 people
- Juneau
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Juneau is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juneau
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,532 people
- Rubicon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rubicon is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rubicon
- Woodland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Woodland is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Iron Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Iron Ridge is located in Dodge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Ridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
- Racine County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Caldwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Honey Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Honey Creek is located in Racine County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honey Creek
- Rock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Lima Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lima Center is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima Center
- Edgerton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Edgerton is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,595 people
- Milton Junction
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Milton Junction is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Junction
- Milton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Milton is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,643 people
- Indianford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Indianford is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indianford
- Johnstown Center
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Johnstown Center is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown Center
- Johnstown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Johnstown is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Fulton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fulton is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Emerald Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Emerald Grove is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Grove
- Cooksville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cooksville is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Janesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Janesville is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,664 people
- Avalon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Avalon is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
- Union
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Union is located in Rock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Walworth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Whitewater
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Whitewater is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitewater
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,993 people
- La Grange
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- La Grange is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Little Prairie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Little Prairie is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Prairie
- Heart Prairie
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Heart Prairie is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heart Prairie
- Adams
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Adams is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Richmond
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Richmond is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Lauderdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lauderdale is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
- Troy Center
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Troy Center is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy Center
- East Troy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- East Troy is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Troy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,307 people
- Elkhorn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elkhorn is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,020 people
- Potter Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Potter Lake is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Lake
- Delavan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Delavan is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delavan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,240 people
- Lake Beulah
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Beulah is located in Walworth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Beulah
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Thompson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
- Lake Five
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Five is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Five
- Hartford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hartford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,675 people
- Waukesha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Summit
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Summit is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,255 people
- Dousman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Dousman is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dousman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,317 people
- Summit Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Summit Center is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Center
- Oconomowoc
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oconomowoc is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconomowoc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,160 people
- Oconomowoc Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Oconomowoc Lake is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconomowoc Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 606 people
- Ottawa
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Ottawa is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottawa
- Waterville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Waterville is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterville
- Monterey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Monterey is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Eagle
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Eagle is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,193 people
- Okauchee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Okauchee is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okauchee
- Okauchee Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Okauchee Lake is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okauchee Lake
- Delafield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Delafield is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delafield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,559 people
- Eagleville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Eagleville is located in Waukesha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Jefferson, see our County-by-County Page for Jefferson.
Cemeteries Near Jefferson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jefferson.
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 Jefferson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Jefferson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- St. John Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Rock River Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- North Oakland Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lakeview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Munroe Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Aztalan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (260 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cushman Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Farmington Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<1>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Jefferson had a population of 2,287 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Jefferson had a population of 8,037 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Jefferson Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jefferson Junction is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Junction
- Fort Atkinson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Fort Atkinson is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Atkinson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,372 people
- Helenville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Helenville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helenville
- Aztalan
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Aztalan is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aztalan
- Johnson Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Johnson Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,065 people
- Milford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Milford is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
- Lake Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Mills is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,014 people
- Cold Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Cold Spring is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Spring
- Hebron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Farmington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Farmington is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Rome
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Rome is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- London
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- London is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Cambridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cambridge is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,538 people
- Rockdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Rockdale is located in Dane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
- Concord
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Concord is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Jefferson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Jefferson.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Jefferson ...
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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jefferson.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Jefferson. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Jefferson and those printed in the larger area surrounding Jefferson.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<2> of Jefferson.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Jefferson:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Jefferson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Columbia County
- Dane County
- Dodge County
- Racine County
- Rock County
- Walworth County
- Washington County
- Waukesha County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Jefferson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Jefferson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |