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 southeast 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 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.
Otis is located in Lincoln County.
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 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.
- Irma
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Irma is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irma
- Merrill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Merrill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,990 people
- Dutch Corners ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Dutch Corners is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Corners
- Gleason
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Gleason is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleason
- Dudley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dudley is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
- Tomahawk
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Tomahawk is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,133 people
- Jersey City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Jersey City is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jersey City
- Harrison
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Harrison is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Jeffris
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jeffris is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffris
- 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)
- Kempster is located in Langlade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kempster
- Deerbrook
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Deerbrook is located in Langlade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
- Neva Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Neva Corners is located in Langlade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neva Corners
- Antigo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Antigo is located in Langlade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antigo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,719 people
- Elcho
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elcho is located in Langlade County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elcho
- 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)
- Emmerich is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerich
- Naugart
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Naugart is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naugart
- Taegesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Taegesville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taegesville
- Hamburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hamburg is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Brokaw
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Brokaw is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokaw
- Estimated population in 2018: 245 people
- Glandon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Glandon is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glandon
- Nutterville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Nutterville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutterville
- Sunset
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
- Wausau
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Wausau is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wausau
- Population from the 2020 Census: 38,511 people
- Rib Falls
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rib Falls is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rib Falls
- Poniatowski
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Poniatowski is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poniatowski
- Marathon City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Marathon City is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marathon City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,516 people
- Athens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Athens is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
- 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)
- Harshaw is located in Oneida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harshaw
- Rhinelander
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rhinelander is located in Oneida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhinelander
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,637 people
- Newbold
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Newbold is located in Oneida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbold
- Pelican Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pelican Lake is located in Oneida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelican Lake
- Shawano County
- Aniwa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Aniwa is located in Shawano County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aniwa
- Population from the 2020 Census: 252 people
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otis, with the one closest to Otis listed first.
- Interwald
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Interwald is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Interwald
- Rib Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Rib Lake is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rib Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 861 people
- Chelsea
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Chelsea is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelsea
- Westboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Westboro is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westboro
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Otis, see our County-by-County Page for 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.
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 Otis - one of the links might be able to help.
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)
- Merrill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Trinity Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Snow Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- St. James Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- St. John Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Calvary Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Luther Memorial Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jehn Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (74 more) ...
- Estonian Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Gleason Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Springbrook Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
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>
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)
- Irma is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irma
- Merrill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Merrill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,990 people
- Bloomville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bloomville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomville
- Gilbert
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Gilbert is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
- Dudley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dudley is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
- Emmerich
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Emmerich is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerich
- Naugart
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Naugart is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naugart
- Tomahawk
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Tomahawk is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,133 people
- Hamburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hamburg is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamburg
- Taegesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Taegesville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taegesville
- Bradley
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bradley is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Heafford Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Heafford Junction is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heafford Junction
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Nutterville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Nutterville is located in Marathon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutterville
- Jeffris
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jeffris is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffris
- Manson ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Manson is located in Oneida County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manson
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.
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 professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Otis:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Lincoln County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Langlade County
- Marathon County
- Oneida County
- Shawano County
- Taylor 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 Otis, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Otis) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |