RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Wisconsin >> Oconto County >> Oconto >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Wisconsin

The Commemorative Quarter for Wisconsin





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 Oconto (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 Oconto. 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 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.

Oconto is located in Oconto County and is the County Seat.

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 Oconto County: Brown, Forest, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee & Shawano.

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

  • Oconto County     (The home county of Oconto)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Pensaukee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pensaukee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensaukee
      • Pensaukee is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pensaukee
      • From Oconto to Pensaukee
    • Stiles Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Lena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
      • Lena is located in Oconto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 540 people
    • Oconto Falls
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Spruce
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Chase
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chase. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
      • Chase is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chase
      • From Oconto to Chase
    • Hickory Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gillett
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett
      • Gillett is located in Oconto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
    • Frostville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Suring
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Breed
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Breed. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breed
      • Breed is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Breed
      • From Oconto to Breed
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Dyckesville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Benderville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Suamico
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suamico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suamico
      • Suamico is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,064 people
    • Flintville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wequiock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wequiock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wequiock
      • Wequiock is located in Brown County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wequiock
      • From Oconto to Wequiock
    • Bay Settlement
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Pulaski
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Duck Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Duck Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck Creek
      • Duck Creek is located in Brown County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Duck Creek
      • From Oconto to Duck Creek
    • Howard
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
      • Howard is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,346 people
    • Green Bay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Sugar Bush
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Pittsfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
      • Pittsfield is located in Brown County
  • Door County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Namur
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Namur. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namur
      • Namur is located in Door County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Namur
      • From Oconto to Namur
    • Little Sturgeon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Brussels
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosiere
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rosiere. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosiere
      • Rosiere is located in Door County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rosiere
      • From Oconto to Rosiere
    • Idlewild
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Sturgeon Bay
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Forestville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forestville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
      • Forestville is located in Door County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
    • Egg Harbor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Egg Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Harbor
      • Egg Harbor is located in Door County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
  • Kewaunee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Duvall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Euren
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Gregorville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Luxemburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luxemburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luxemburg
      • Luxemburg is located in Kewaunee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,577 people
    • Casco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Algoma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ellisville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ellisville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisville
      • Ellisville is located in Kewaunee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ellisville
      • From Oconto to Ellisville
  • Marinette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Peshtigo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Harmony
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Coleman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pound
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pound have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pound
      • Pound is located in Marinette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Marinette
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
      • Lake is located in Marinette County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 1,136 people
    • Rubys Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Crivitz
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crivitz have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crivitz
      • Crivitz is located in Marinette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 938 people
    • Sweetheart City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Shawano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Pulcifer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Laney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laney
      • Laney is located in Shawano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Laney
      • From Oconto to Laney
    • Zachow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Frazer Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Rose Lawn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rose Lawn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Lawn
      • Rose Lawn is located in Shawano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rose Lawn
      • From Oconto to Rose Lawn
    • Cecil
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cecil have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecil
      • Cecil is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
    • Bonduel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Slab City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slab City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
      • Slab City is located in Shawano County
  • Menominee County (MI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oconto, with the one closest to Oconto listed first.
    • Menominee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Kew
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kew. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kew
      • Kew is located in Menominee County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kew
      • From Oconto to Kew
    • Carbondale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Oconto ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oconto.

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

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

  • Lindsey Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lindsey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lindsey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oconto Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cullen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cullen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cullen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garden of Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden of Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garden of Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brookside Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brookside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brookside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Charles Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lena Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lena Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peshtigo Fire Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Precious Blood Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (132 more) ...
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Grosse Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grosse Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grosse Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Oconto had a population of 5,219 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Oconto had a population of 4,575 people.

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

  • Pensaukee
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pensaukee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensaukee
    • Pensaukee is located in Oconto County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Pensaukee
    • From Oconto to Pensaukee
  • Brookside
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Brookside is located in Oconto County
  • Stiles Junction
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Stiles
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stiles have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiles
    • Stiles is located in Oconto County
  • Lena
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
    • Lena is located in Oconto County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 540 people
  • Abrams
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abrams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abrams
    • Abrams is located in Oconto County
  • Peshtigo
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Little Suamico
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Suamico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Suamico
    • Little Suamico is located in Oconto County
  • Oconto Falls
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Namur
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Namur. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namur
    • Namur is located in Door County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Namur
    • From Oconto to Namur
  • Coleman
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Brussels
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Little Sturgeon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Spruce
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Pound
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pound have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pound
      • Pound is located in Marinette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people

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

Newspapers Published in Oconto ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oconto.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oconto, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oconto.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Oconto:

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

The official website for Oconto County: www.co.oconto.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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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- Oconto) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oconto. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.8870, Longitude: -87.8646    
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Oconto, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025