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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 Saint Francis (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 Saint Francis. 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.

Name Variations for Saint Francis ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Francis: St. Francis

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 hospitals and 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.

Saint Francis is located in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County: Ozaukee, Racine, Washington & Waukesha.

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

  • Milwaukee County     (The home county of Saint Francis)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Cudahy
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cudahy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cudahy
      • Cudahy is located in Milwaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,077 people
    • South Milwaukee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Milwaukee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • West Milwaukee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Milwaukee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milwaukee
      • West Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,090 people
    • Greenfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Greendale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greendale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Greendale is located in Milwaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,127 people
    • Shorewood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shorewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorewood
      • Shorewood is located in Milwaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,117 people
    • West Allis
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Franklin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Milwaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,925 people
    • Hales Corners
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hales Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
      • Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
    • Saint Martins
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Kenosha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Somers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers
      • Somers is located in Kenosha County
    • Paris
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
      • Paris is located in Kenosha County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Paris
      • From Saint Francis to Paris
    • Kenosha
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Brighton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brighton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
      • Brighton is located in Kenosha County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brighton
      • From Saint Francis to Brighton
    • Woodworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Bristol
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Pleasant Prairie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Prairie
      • Pleasant Prairie is located in Kenosha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,373 people
    • Paddock Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paddock Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paddock Lake
      • Paddock Lake is located in Kenosha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,232 people
  • Ozaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Mequon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mequon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mequon
      • Mequon is located in Ozaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,765 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mequon
      • From Saint Francis to Mequon
    • Thiensville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Freistadt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedarburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Grafton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Ulao
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ulao. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulao
      • Ulao is located in Ozaukee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ulao
      • From Saint Francis to Ulao
    • Horns Corners
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Port Washington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Saukville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saukville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saukville
      • Saukville is located in Ozaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,437 people
  • Racine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Caledonia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Kneeland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wind Point
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wind Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wind Point
      • Wind Point is located in Racine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,685 people
    • Franksville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franksville
      • Franksville is located in Racine County
    • North Bay
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bay
      • North Bay is located in Racine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
    • Raymond
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Racine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,048 people
    • Racine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Yorkville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yorkville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Racine County
    • Sturtevant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Wind Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Elmwood Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood Park
      • Elmwood Park is located in Racine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
  • Walworth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Lake Beulah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Potter Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potter Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Lake
      • Potter Lake is located in Walworth County
    • East Troy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Voree ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Voree. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Voree
      • Voree is located in Walworth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Voree
      • From Saint Francis to Voree
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Germantown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germantown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germantown
      • Germantown is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,057 people
    • Lake Five
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Richfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Richfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richfield
      • Richfield is located in Washington County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 11,530 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Richfield
      • From Saint Francis to Richfield
    • Jackson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rugby Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rugby Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby Junction
      • Rugby Junction is located in Washington County
  • Waukesha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis listed first.
    • Elm Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Durham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • New Berlin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Tess Corners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Brookfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,164 people
    • Butler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
      • Butler is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,795 people
    • Muskego
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muskego have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskego
      • Muskego is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,317 people
    • Prospect
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Prospect. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
      • Prospect is located in Waukesha County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Prospect
      • From Saint Francis to Prospect
    • Menomonee Falls
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menomonee Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menomonee Falls
      • Menomonee Falls is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,243 people
    • Big Bend
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Big Bend is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
    • Waukesha
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Lannon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lannon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lannon
      • Lannon is located in Waukesha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,284 people

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Francis ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Francis.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Francis, with the one closest to Saint Francis 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Saint Francis had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Francis had a population of 9,725 people.

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

  • South Milwaukee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Oak Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Milwaukee
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Oakwood
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
    • Oakwood is located in Milwaukee County
  • Hales Corners
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hales Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
    • Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
  • Saint Martins
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Whitefish Bay
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Husher
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Husher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Husher
    • Husher is located in Racine County
  • Tabor
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tabor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabor
    • Tabor is located in Racine County
  • Caledonia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Elm Grove
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Tess Corners
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Durham
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Kneeland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Kilbournville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kilbournville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilbournville
      • Kilbournville is located in Racine County

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Francis ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Francis.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Francis, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Francis.

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 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 Saint Francis:

The official website for Saint Francis: www.cityofstfrancis.com/

The official website for Milwaukee County: www.co.milwaukee.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>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.
<4>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 Saint Francis, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Saint Francis) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint Francis. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.9709, Longitude: -87.8601    









 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 17 Jul 2025