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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 Otis (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 Otis. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Otis is located in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Langlade, Marathon, Oneida, Price & Taylor.

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

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of Otis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Merrill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill
      • Merrill is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,990 people
    • Dutch Corners ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Corners
      • Dutch Corners is located in Lincoln County
    • Gleason
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleason
      • Gleason is located in Lincoln County
    • Dudley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
      • Dudley is located in Lincoln County
    • Tomahawk
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
      • Tomahawk is located in Lincoln County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,133 people
    • Jersey City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jersey City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jersey City
      • Jersey City is located in Lincoln County
    • Harrison
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
      • Harrison is located in Lincoln County
  • Langlade County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Kempster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kempster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kempster
      • Kempster is located in Langlade County
    • Deerbrook
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
      • Deerbrook is located in Langlade County
    • Antigo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antigo
      • Antigo is located in Langlade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,719 people
    • Elcho
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elcho
      • Elcho is located in Langlade County
  • Marathon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Emmerich
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerich
      • Emmerich is located in Marathon County
    • Naugart
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naugart
      • Naugart is located in Marathon County
    • Taegesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taegesville
      • Taegesville is located in Marathon County
    • Hamburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
      • Hamburg is located in Marathon County
    • Brokaw
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brokaw have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
      • Brokaw is located in Marathon County
      • Estimated population in 2018: 245 people
    • Glandon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glandon
      • Glandon is located in Marathon County
    • Nutterville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutterville
      • Nutterville is located in Marathon County
    • Sunset
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
      • Sunset is located in Marathon County
    • Wausau
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wausau
      • Wausau is located in Marathon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,511 people
    • Rib Falls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rib Falls
      • Rib Falls is located in Marathon County
    • Poniatowski
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poniatowski
      • Poniatowski is located in Marathon County
    • Athens
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
      • Athens is located in Marathon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,079 people
  • Oneida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
    • Harshaw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harshaw
      • Harshaw is located in Oneida County
    • Rhinelander
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhinelander
      • Rhinelander is located in Oneida County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,637 people
    • Newbold
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newbold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbold
      • Newbold is located in Oneida County
  • Shawano County
    • Aniwa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aniwa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aniwa
      • Aniwa is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
  • Taylor County
    • Rib Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rib Lake
      • Rib Lake is located in Taylor County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 861 people

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

Newspapers Published in Otis ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otis, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otis.

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 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 Otis:

Cemeteries Near Otis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otis.

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

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

  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
  • Merrill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Merrill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Merrill Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
  • Snow Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Snow Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Snow Hill Cemetery
  • St. James Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
  • St. John Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John Cemetery
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
  • Luther Memorial Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Luther Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Luther Memorial Cemetery
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
  • Jehn Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jehn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jehn Cemetery
  • Continue List   (74 more) ...
    • Estonian Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Estonian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Estonian Cemetery
    • Gleason Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gleason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gleason Cemetery
    • Springbrook Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springbrook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springbrook 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.<3>

While we didn't find Otis in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Otis.

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

  • Irma
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irma
    • Irma is located in Lincoln County
  • Merrill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill
    • Merrill is located in Lincoln County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,990 people
  • Bloomville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomville
    • Bloomville is located in Lincoln County
  • Gilbert
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilbert have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
    • Gilbert is located in Lincoln County
  • Dudley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
    • Dudley is located in Lincoln County
  • Emmerich
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerich
    • Emmerich is located in Marathon County
  • Naugart
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naugart
    • Naugart is located in Marathon County
  • Tomahawk
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
    • Tomahawk is located in Lincoln County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,133 people
  • Hamburg
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
    • Hamburg is located in Marathon County
  • Taegesville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taegesville
    • Taegesville is located in Marathon County
  • Bradley
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Bradley is located in Lincoln County
  • Heafford Junction
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heafford Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heafford Junction
    • Heafford Junction is located in Lincoln County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Nutterville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutterville
      • Nutterville is located in Marathon County
    • Jeffris
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeffris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffris
      • Jeffris is located in Lincoln County
    • Manson ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manson
      • Manson is located in Oneida County

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

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

The official website for Lincoln County: www.co.lincoln.wi.us/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Otis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.2689, Longitude: -89.6935       In this case, the coordinates for Otis have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<3>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 Otis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024