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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 North Leeds (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 North Leeds. 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 North Leeds ...

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 North Leeds: N. Leeds

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

North Leeds is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Adams, Dane, Dodge, Green Lake, Juneau, Marquette & Sauk.

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of North Leeds)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Arlington
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Keyeser
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keyeser. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyeser
      • Keyeser is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keyeser
      • From North Leeds to Keyeser
    • Poynette
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Otsego
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rio
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
      • Rio is located in Columbia County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,047 people
    • Lodi
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Wyocena
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Doylestown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Harmony Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Lake Wisconsin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Wisconsin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wisconsin
      • Lake Wisconsin is located in Columbia County
    • Okee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Englewood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Dane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Morrisonville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • DeForest
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • North Bristol
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Windsor
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • East Bristol
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dane
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dane have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dane
      • Dane is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,134 people
    • Sun Prairie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sun Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Prairie
      • Sun Prairie is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,119 people
    • Waunakee
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waunakee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waunakee
      • Waunakee is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,188 people
    • Burke
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burke. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
      • Burke is located in Dane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burke
      • From North Leeds to Burke
    • Mendota
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mendota. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendota
      • Mendota is located in Dane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mendota
      • From North Leeds to Mendota
    • Darwin ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Darwin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darwin
      • Darwin is located in Dane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Darwin
      • From North Leeds to Darwin
    • Maple Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Bluff
      • Maple Bluff is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,307 people
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Astico
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Randolph
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randolph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,738 people
    • Reeseville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lowell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Lowell is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
    • Beaver Dam
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Dam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Dam
      • Beaver Dam is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,303 people
    • Fox Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fox Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Lake
      • Fox Lake is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,440 people
    • Clyman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyman
      • Clyman is located in Dodge County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
  • Green Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Kingston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Marquette
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marquette have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquette
      • Marquette is located in Green Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
    • Markesan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Markesan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markesan
      • Markesan is located in Green Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,389 people
  • Iowa County
    • Cassell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cassell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassell
      • Cassell is located in Iowa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cassell
      • From North Leeds to Cassell
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Waterloo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterloo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
      • Waterloo is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,322 people
    • Lake Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mills
      • Lake Mills is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,014 people
    • Lake Ripley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Milford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Grellton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Marquette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Endeavor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Endeavor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Endeavor
      • Endeavor is located in Marquette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 464 people
    • Douglas Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Glen Oak
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Packwaukee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Sauk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Leeds, with the one closest to North Leeds listed first.
    • Merrimac
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrimac have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
      • Merrimac is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 441 people
    • Moon Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Prairie du Sac village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Sauk City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sauk City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauk City
      • Sauk City is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,498 people
    • Baraboo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • West Baraboo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Baraboo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Baraboo
      • West Baraboo is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,416 people
    • Denzer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • North Freedom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Freedom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Freedom
      • North Freedom is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 690 people
    • Witwen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Lake Delton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Delton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Delton
      • Lake Delton is located in Sauk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,986 people

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

Cemeteries Near North Leeds ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Leeds.

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 North Leeds covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that North Leeds had a population of 87 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Leeds
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leeds have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeds
    • Leeds is located in Columbia County
  • Arlington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Lowville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowville
    • Lowville is located in Columbia County
  • Morrisonville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Keyeser
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keyeser. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyeser
    • Keyeser is located in Columbia County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Keyeser
    • From North Leeds to Keyeser
  • DeForest
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Poynette
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Norway Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway Grove
    • Norway Grove is located in Dane County
  • North Bristol
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Windsor
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • East Bristol
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Otsego
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Rio
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rio have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio
      • Rio is located in Columbia County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,047 people
    • Dane
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dane have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dane
      • Dane is located in Dane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,134 people
    • Lodi
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in North Leeds ...

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 218 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Leeds.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of North Leeds, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for North Leeds.

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 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 North Leeds:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for North Leeds. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Columbia County: www.co.columbia.wi.us/

The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<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 North Leeds, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- North Leeds) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in North Leeds. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.3320, Longitude: -89.3254       In this case, the coordinates for North Leeds have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025