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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 Rochester (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 Rochester. 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.

Rochester is located in Racine 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 Racine County: Kenosha, Walworth & Waukesha.

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

  • Racine County     (The home county of Rochester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Waterford
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Waterford is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
    • Browns Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Browns Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
    • Honey Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Eagle Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Eagle Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
    • Burlington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Burlington is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
    • Wind Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Caldwell
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Bohners Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Bohners Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
    • Union Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Union Grove is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
    • Yorkville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Yorkville is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Raymond
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Kneeland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Palmyra
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Palmyra is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
    • Hebron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hebron is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
    • Rome
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Rome is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
    • Sullivan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Sullivan is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
    • Concord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Concord is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Cold Spring
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Helenville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kenosha County
  • Milwaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Union Church
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Franklin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Franklin is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,925 people
    • Saint Martins
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hales Corners
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
    • Greendale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Greendale is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,127 people
    • Greenfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • South Milwaukee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • West Allis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • West Milwaukee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • West Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milwaukee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,090 people
    • Cudahy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cudahy is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cudahy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,077 people
    • Wauwatosa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Rock County
  • Walworth County
  • Waukesha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Big Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Big Bend is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
    • Mukwonago
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mukwonago is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mukwonago
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,107 people
    • Vernon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Vernon is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Durham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Muskego
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Muskego is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskego
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,317 people
    • Eagleville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Prospect
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Tess Corners
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Eagle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Genesee
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Genesee is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
    • North Prairie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • North Prairie is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,236 people
    • Genesee Depot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lake County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Channel Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Channel Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channel Lake
    • Lake Catherine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lake Catherine is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
    • Antioch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Antioch is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,174 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <1>
    • Fox Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Fossland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fox Lake Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Fox Lake Hills is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Lake Hills
    • Lake Villa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Russell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Monaville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Lindenhurst
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Lindenhurst is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenhurst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,117 people
      • Lindenhurst has also been known as:
      • Lindenhurst village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindenhurst <1>
    • Millburn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Old Mill Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • McHenry County (IL)

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

Cemeteries Near Rochester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rochester.

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 Rochester - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rochester covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rochester had a population of 296 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rochester had a population of 3,880 people.

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

  • Waterford
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Waterford is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
  • Honey Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Burlington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Burlington is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
  • Caldwell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Kansasville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Kansasville is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansasville
  • North Cape
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • North Cape is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cape
  • Spring Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Lyons
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Brighton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Grove
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Union Grove is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
  • Big Bend
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Big Bend is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
  • Yorkville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Yorkville is located in Racine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Union Church
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mukwonago
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mukwonago is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mukwonago
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,107 people
    • Springfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Springfield is located in Walworth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield

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

Newspapers Published in Rochester ...

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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rochester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rochester, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rochester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Rochester:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<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 Rochester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rochester) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.