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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 Germain (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 Germain. 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 Germain ...

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.

Over the years, Saint Germain had several name changes:

  • Prior to its current name of Saint Germain, it was known as Lakewood.
  • Before changing to Lakewood, it was named Farmington.
  • Saint Germain was originally named Farmington

  • A typical abbreviation for Saint Germain: St. Germain

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.

A Few Details for Saint Germain ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

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 and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Saint Germain is located in Vilas County.

To see how the shape of Wisconsin's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Vilas County: Gogebic (MI), Iron (MI), Forest, Iron, Oneida & Price.

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

  • Vilas County     (The home county of Saint Germain)
  • Forest County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Germain, with the one closest to Saint Germain listed first.
    • Atkins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Forest County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Atkins
      • From Saint Germain to Atkins
    • Hiles
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hiles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hiles
      • Hiles is located in Forest County
  • Iron County
  • Lincoln County
  • Oneida County
  • Gogebic County (MI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Germain, with the one closest to Saint Germain listed first.
    • Katakitckon Indian Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Katakitckon Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katakitckon Indian Village
      • Katakitckon Indian Village is located in Gogebic County (MI)
    • Watersmeet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Germain ...

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

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

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

  • St. Germain Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Germain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Germain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Plum Lake Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Wilderness Rest Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilderness Rest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilderness Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Garden Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Garden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Garden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Newbold Memorial Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newbold Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newbold Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • St. Patricks Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hildegard Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hildegard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hildegard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pines Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pines Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pines Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Grove Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Home Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Northland Memorial Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Northland Memorial Park
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Northland Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Land O' Lakes Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Land O' Lakes Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Land O' Lakes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

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

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

  • Woodruff
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Minocqua
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minocqua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minocqua
    • Minocqua is located in Oneida County
  • Eagle River
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • McNaughton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McNaughton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNaughton
    • McNaughton is located in Oneida County
  • Hazelhurst
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Newbold
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newbold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbold
    • Newbold is located in Oneida County
  • Goodnow
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodnow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodnow
    • Goodnow is located in Oneida County
  • Harshaw
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Rhinelander
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Malvern
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malvern have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malvern
    • Malvern is located in Oneida County
  • Manson ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manson
    • Manson is located in Oneida County
  • Heafford Junction
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heafford Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heafford Junction
    • Heafford Junction is located in Lincoln County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Atkins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
      • Atkins is located in Forest County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Atkins
      • From Saint Germain to Atkins
    • Bradley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Lincoln County
    • Jeffris
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jeffris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffris
      • Jeffris is located in Lincoln County

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Germain ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Germain.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Germain, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Germain.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Saint Germain:

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

The official website for Vilas County: www.co.vilas.wi.us/

The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Saint Germain, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (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- Saint Germain) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint Germain. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.9071, Longitude: -89.4877    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025