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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 Polar (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 Polar. 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 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.

Polar is located in Langlade 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 Langlade County: Forest, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida & Shawano.

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

  • Langlade County     (The home county of Polar)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Bryant
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
      • Bryant is located in Langlade County
    • Phlox
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phlox
      • Phlox is located in Langlade County
    • Antigo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antigo
      • Antigo is located in Langlade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,719 people
    • Deerbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
      • Deerbrook is located in Langlade County
    • White Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
      • White Lake is located in Langlade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Kempster
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Freeman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Freeman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
      • Freeman is located in Langlade County
    • Post Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Lake
      • Post Lake is located in Langlade County
    • Elcho
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elcho
      • Elcho is located in Langlade County
  • Forest County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Mole Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mole Lake
      • Mole Lake is located in Forest County
    • Padus
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Padus
      • Padus is located in Forest County
    • Crandon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crandon
      • Crandon is located in Forest County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,780 people
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Dudley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
      • Dudley is located in Lincoln County
    • Gleason
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleason
      • Gleason is located in Lincoln County
    • Dutch Corners ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutch Corners
      • Dutch Corners is located in Lincoln County
  • Marathon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Glandon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glandon
      • Glandon is located in Marathon County
    • Norrie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norrie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norrie
      • Norrie is located in Marathon County
    • Hatley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatley
      • Hatley is located in Marathon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
    • Sunset
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset
      • Sunset is located in Marathon County
    • Nutterville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutterville
      • Nutterville is located in Marathon County
    • Elderon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elderon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderon
      • Elderon is located in Marathon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
  • Menominee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Zoar
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
      • Zoar is located in Menominee County
    • Neopit
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neopit have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neopit
      • Neopit is located in Menominee County
    • Keshena
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keshena
      • Keshena is located in Menominee County
    • Legend Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Legend Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legend Lake
      • Legend Lake is located in Menominee County
  • Oconto County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Townsend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townsend
      • Townsend is located in Oconto County
    • Mountain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain
      • Mountain is located in Oconto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 851 people
    • Armstrong
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Armstrong came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
      • Armstrong is located in Oconto County
    • Breed
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Breed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breed
      • Breed is located in Oconto County
  • Oneida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Jennings
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
      • Jennings is located in Oneida County
    • Monico
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monico
      • Monico is located in Oneida County
  • Shawano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polar, with the one closest to Polar listed first.
    • Mattoon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattoon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattoon
      • Mattoon is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
    • Aniwa
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Almon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almon
      • Almon is located in Shawano County
    • Regina
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regina
      • Regina is located in Shawano County
    • Birnamwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birnamwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birnamwood
      • Birnamwood is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 772 people
    • Middle Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Village
      • Middle Village is located in Shawano County
    • Bowler
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
      • Bowler is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
    • Eland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eland
      • Eland is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
    • Gresham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
      • Gresham is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 563 people
    • Wittenberg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
      • Wittenberg is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 986 people
    • Leopolis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leopolis
      • Leopolis is located in Shawano County
    • Tigerton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tigerton
      • Tigerton is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people

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

Newspapers Published in Polar ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Polar.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Polar, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Polar.

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 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 Polar:

Cemeteries Near Polar ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Polar.

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

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

  • Bent Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bent Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bent Cemetery
  • Sherry Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sherry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sherry Cemetery
  • St. James Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Antigo Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antigo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antigo Cemetery
  • Queen of Peace Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Queen of Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Queen of Peace Cemetery
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood Cemetery
  • Norwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norwood Cemetery
  • Brown Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
  • Neva Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neva Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neva Cemetery
  • Bohemian Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bohemian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bohemian Cemetery
  • Hall Pioneer Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Pioneer Cemetery
  • Continue List   (76 more) ...
    • St. James Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Rolling Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rolling Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rolling Cemetery
    • Lily Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)

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>

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

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

  • Bryant
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
    • Bryant is located in Langlade County
  • Elton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
    • Elton is located in Langlade County
  • Antigo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antigo
    • Antigo is located in Langlade County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,719 people
  • Phlox
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phlox
    • Phlox is located in Langlade County
  • Deerbrook
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerbrook
    • Deerbrook is located in Langlade County
  • Lily
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lily have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
    • Lily is located in Langlade County
  • Kempster
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • 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
  • Elmhurst
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmhurst have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmhurst
    • Elmhurst is located in Langlade County
  • Koepenick
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Koepenick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koepenick
    • Koepenick is located in Langlade County
  • Aniwa
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
  • Summit Lake
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Lake
    • Summit Lake is located in Langlade County
  • Hogarty
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hogarty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogarty
    • Hogarty is located in Marathon County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Regina
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Regina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regina
      • Regina is located in Shawano County
    • Post Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Lake
      • Post Lake is located in Langlade County
    • Birnamwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birnamwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birnamwood
      • Birnamwood is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 772 people

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

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

The official website for Langlade County: www.co.langlade.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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Polar) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Polar. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.1686, Longitude: -88.9901       In this case, the coordinates for Polar have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Polar, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024