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 Ridgeway (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 Ridgeway. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Ridgeway is located in Iowa 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 Iowa County: Dane, Grant, Green, Lafayette, Richland & Sauk.
Below are the counties that are near Ridgeway. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ridgeway:
- Iowa County (The home county of Ridgeway)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Barneveld
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Hyde
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde
- Hyde is located in Iowa County
- Pleasant Ridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Iowa County
- Dodgeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodgeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Dodgeville is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,677 people
- Hollandale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollandale
- Hollandale is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Helena
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Helena is located in Iowa County
- Arena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
- Arena is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
- Moscow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Moscow is located in Iowa County
- Mineral Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Point
- Mineral Point is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,454 people
- Edmund
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmund
- Edmund is located in Iowa County
- Cassell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north) - Linden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Cobb
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Dane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Blue Mounds
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Mounds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mounds
- Blue Mounds is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 990 people
- Elvers
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Mount Horeb
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Horeb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Horeb
- Mount Horeb is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,563 people
- Black Earth
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Earth
- Black Earth is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,422 people
- Mazomanie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast) - Klevenville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Klevenville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klevenville
- Klevenville is located in Dane County
- Cross Plains
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Plains
- Cross Plains is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,280 people
- Marxville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast) - Verona
(23 miles [37 km] to the east) - Martinsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Martinsville is located in Dane County
- Basco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Basco
- Basco is located in Dane County
- Belleville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
- Belleville is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,514 people
- Ashton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
- Ashton is located in Dane County
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Montfort
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montfort
- Montfort is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 675 people
- Livingston
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livingston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
- Livingston is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Muscoda
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest) - Annaton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annaton
- Annaton is located in Grant County
- Preston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west) - Platteville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platteville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platteville
- Platteville is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,650 people
- Green County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- New Glarus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Glarus
- New Glarus is located in Green County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,136 people
- Monticello
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Monticello is located in Green County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,185 people
- Dayton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Dayton is located in Green County
- Browntown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browntown
- Browntown is located in Green County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 272 people
- Attica
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
- Attica is located in Green County
- Lafayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Blanchardville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchardville
- Blanchardville is located in Lafayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 788 people
- Calamine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calamine
- Calamine is located in Lafayette County
- Argyle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south) - Darlington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Darlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington
- Darlington is located in Lafayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,317 people
- Wiota
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiota
- Wiota is located in Lafayette County
- Woodford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodford
- Woodford is located in Lafayette County
- Belmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Belmont is located in Lafayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 974 people
- Gratiot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratiot
- Gratiot is located in Lafayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
- South Wayne
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Wayne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wayne
- South Wayne is located in Lafayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
- Elk Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Lone Rock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest) - Bear Valley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Bear Valley is located in Richland County
- Sextonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sextonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sextonville
- Sextonville is located in Richland County
- Aubrey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aubrey
- Aubrey is located in Richland County
- Ithaca
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest) - Balmoral
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest) - Neptune
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
- Neptune is located in Richland County
- Richland Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Center
- Richland Center is located in Richland County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,949 people
- Sauk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Spring Green
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Green have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Green
- Spring Green is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
- Plain
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north) - Witwen
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witwen
- Witwen is located in Sauk County
- Leland
(23 miles [37 km] to the north) - Prairie du Sac village
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Sac village
- Prairie du Sac village is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,426 people
- Sauk City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast) - Denzer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denzer
- Denzer is located in Sauk County
- Sandusky
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north) - Loganville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loganville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
- Loganville is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
- Moon Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moon Valley
- Moon Valley is located in Sauk County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ridgeway, see our County-by-County Page for Ridgeway.
Cemeteries Near Ridgeway ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ridgeway.
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 Ridgeway covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Eastside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eastside Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eastside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Bridgets Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bridgets Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bridgets Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jennieton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jennieton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jennieton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jennieton Baptist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jennieton Baptist Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jennieton Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rockwell Mills Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rockwell Mills Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rockwell Mills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ruggles Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruggles Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruggles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Griffith Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Griffith Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Griffith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Garrison Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garrison Grove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garrison Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- White Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- East Side Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Side Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Side Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (166 more) ...
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)- 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Long Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Valley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rock Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Joseph 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 Ridgeway in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ridgeway.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ridgeway, with the one closest to Ridgeway listed first.
- Barneveld
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east) - Dodgeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dodgeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- Dodgeville is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,677 people
- Jonesdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south) - Hollandale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollandale
- Hollandale is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Blue Mounds
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Mounds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mounds
- Blue Mounds is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 990 people
- Elvers
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast) - Wyoming
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest) - Helena
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- Helena is located in Iowa County
- Spring Green
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Green have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Green
- Spring Green is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,630 people
- Arena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arena
- Arena is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
- Mineral Point
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Point
- Mineral Point is located in Iowa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,454 people
- Yellowstone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellowstone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellowstone
- Yellowstone is located in Lafayette County
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Moscow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Moscow is located in Iowa County
- Forward
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast) - Mount Horeb
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Horeb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Horeb
- Mount Horeb is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,563 people
- Moscow
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ridgeway. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ridgeway.
Newspapers Published in Ridgeway ...
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 166 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ridgeway.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ridgeway, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ridgeway.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Ridgeway:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the //www.wisconsinhistory.org/
- Pages specific to Iowa County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dane County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Grant County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Green County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Lafayette County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Richland County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sauk County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dane County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Iowa County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ridgeway. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Iowa County: www.iowacounty.org/
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> | 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 Ridgeway, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Ridgeway) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ridgeway. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.9992, Longitude: -89.9923 In this case, the coordinates for Ridgeway have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |