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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 Phelps (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 Phelps. 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.

Phelps is located in Vilas 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 Vilas County: Gogebic (MI), Iron (MI), Forest, Iron, Oneida & Price.

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

  • Vilas County     (The home county of Phelps)
  • Florence County
  • Forest County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Nelma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Hiles
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hiles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiles
      • Hiles is located in Forest County
    • Atkins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Forest County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Atkins
      • From Phelps to Atkins
  • Oneida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Sugar Camp
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Gagen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gagen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gagen
      • Gagen is located in Oneida County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gagen
      • From Phelps to Gagen
  • Gogebic County (MI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Katakitckon Indian Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Katakitckon Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katakitckon Indian Village
      • Katakitckon Indian Village is located in Gogebic County (MI)
    • Watersmeet
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Fuller
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fuller. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
      • Fuller is located in Gogebic County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fuller
      • From Phelps to Fuller
  • Houghton County (MI)
  • Iron County (MI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Phelps, with the one closest to Phelps listed first.
    • Iron River
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron River
      • Iron River is located in Iron County (MI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iron River <3>
    • Mineral Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Hills
      • Mineral Hills is located in Iron County (MI)
    • Stambaugh
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stambaugh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stambaugh
      • Stambaugh is located in Iron County (MI)
    • Gibbs City ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gibbs City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbs City
      • Gibbs City is located in Iron County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gibbs City
      • From Phelps to Gibbs City
    • Caspian
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Atkinson ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkinson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkinson
      • Atkinson is located in Iron County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Atkinson
      • From Phelps to Atkinson
    • Bates Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Gaastra
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaastra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaastra
      • Gaastra is located in Iron County (MI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaastra <3>
    • Chicagon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chicagon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicagon
      • Chicagon is located in Iron County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chicagon
      • From Phelps to Chicagon
    • Pentoga
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Ontonagon County (MI)

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

Cemeteries Near Phelps ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Phelps.

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

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

  • Katakikon Indian Village Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Katakikon Indian Village Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Katakikon Indian Village Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hildegard Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hildegard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hildegard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Land O' Lakes Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Land O' Lakes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Land O' Lakes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Watersmeet Twp. Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watersmeet Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watersmeet Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosehill Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Resthaven Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Resthaven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Resthaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Interior Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Interior Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Interior Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Plum Lake Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Stambaugh Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stambaugh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stambaugh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Iron River Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • St. Germain Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Germain Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Germain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Martin Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Stambaugh Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Eagle River
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Elmwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
    • Elmwood is located in Iron County (MI)
  • Watersmeet
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Tamarack
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tamarack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamarack
    • Tamarack is located in Gogebic County (MI)
    • Tamarack has also been known as:
    • Tamarack Lake
  • Beechwood
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beechwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
    • Beechwood is located in Iron County (MI)
  • Stambaugh
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stambaugh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stambaugh
    • Stambaugh is located in Iron County (MI)
  • Iron River
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron River
    • Iron River is located in Iron County (MI)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iron River <3>
  • Robbins
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Robbins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robbins
    • Robbins is located in Ontonagon County (MI)
  • Atkinson ‑ Historic
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkinson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkinson
    • Atkinson is located in Iron County (MI)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Atkinson
    • From Phelps to Atkinson
  • Thayer
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thayer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thayer
    • Thayer is located in Gogebic County (MI)
  • Atkins
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
    • Atkins is located in Forest County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Atkins
    • From Phelps to Atkins
  • Trout Creek
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Phelps ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Phelps.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Phelps, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Phelps.

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 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 Phelps:

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

The official website for Vilas County: www.co.vilas.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>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.
<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>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 Phelps, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Phelps) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Phelps. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.0662, Longitude: -89.0880    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025