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 Sparta (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 Sparta. 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 hospitals and 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.
Sparta is located in Monroe County and is the County Seat.
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 Monroe County: Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse & Vernon.
Below are the counties that are near Sparta. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sparta:
- Monroe County (The home county of Sparta)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Angelo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelo
- Angelo is located in Monroe County
- Melvina
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvina
- Melvina is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Norwalk
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Norwalk is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
- Tunnel City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnel City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel City
- Tunnel City is located in Monroe County
- Cashton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south) - Tomah
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east) - Wilton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast) - Oil City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast) - Warrens
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast) - Oakdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east) - Valley Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Junction
- Valley Junction is located in Monroe County
- Wyeville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east) - Clifton
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Clifton is located in Monroe County
- Crawford County
- Lynxville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lynxville
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Melrose
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Melrose is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- North Bend
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bend
- North Bend is located in Jackson County
- Millston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millston
- Millston is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 162 people
- Black River Falls
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black River Falls
- Black River Falls is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,454 people
- Taylor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Juneau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Camp Douglas
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Douglas
- Camp Douglas is located in Juneau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 625 people
- Hustler
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hustler
- Hustler is located in Juneau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
- Mather
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mather
- Mather is located in Juneau County
- Elroy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- La Crosse County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Rockland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Rockland is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
- Bangor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Middle Ridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Ridge
- Middle Ridge is located in La Crosse County
- West Salem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
- West Salem is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,013 people
- Saint Joseph
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Saint Joseph is located in La Crosse County
- Mindoro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mindoro
- Mindoro is located in La Crosse County
- Barre Mills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barre Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barre Mills
- Barre Mills is located in La Crosse County
- Onalaska
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west) - Shelby
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest) - Grand Crossing
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Crossing
- Grand Crossing is located in La Crosse County
- Holmen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west) - Midway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Midway is located in La Crosse County
- French Island
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Island
- French Island is located in La Crosse County
- Richland County
- Trempealeau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Ettrick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest) - Frenchville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchville
- Frenchville is located in Trempealeau County
- Galesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesville
- Galesville is located in Trempealeau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,602 people
- Vernon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Newry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newry
- Newry is located in Vernon County
- Ontario
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast) - Westby
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westby
- Westby is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,254 people
- Coon Valley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coon Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Valley
- Coon Valley is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 782 people
- Mount Tabor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor
- Mount Tabor is located in Vernon County
- Chaseburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaseburg
- Chaseburg is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- La Farge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Farge
- La Farge is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 763 people
- Viroqua
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south) - Trippville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trippville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trippville
- Trippville is located in Vernon County
- White City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- White City is located in Vernon County
- Stoddard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoddard
- Stoddard is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
- Liberty
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south) - Hillsboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Hillsboro is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,387 people
- Houston County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- La Crescent
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Crescent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Crescent
- La Crescent is located in Houston County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,037 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Crescent <2>
- Brownsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Brownsville is located in Houston County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 505 people
- Hokah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hokah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hokah
- Hokah is located in Houston County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hokah <2>
- Winona County (MN)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sparta, see our County-by-County Page for Sparta.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sparta ...
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 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sparta.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sparta. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sparta and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sparta.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Sparta.
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 Sparta:
- 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 Monroe County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Crawford County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Jackson County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Juneau County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- La Crosse 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
- Trempealeau County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Vernon County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Houston County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Winona County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Crawford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Monroe County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Monroe County
Cemeteries Near Sparta ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sparta.
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 Sparta covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
- St. Johns Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
- Leon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leon Cemetery
- Angelo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Angelo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Angelo Cemetery
- Farmers Valley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmers Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmers Valley Cemetery
- Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery
- Welsh Congregational Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welsh Congregational Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welsh Congregational Cemetery
- Lafayette Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lafayette Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lafayette Cemetery
- Mound Prairie Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mound Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mound Prairie Cemetery
- Carr Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carr Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carr Cemetery
- Continue List (178 more) ...
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
- County Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the County Cemetery
- Burns Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burns Cemetery
- Oak Grove 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sparta had a population of 2,795 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sparta had a population of 9,800 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sparta, with the one closest to Sparta listed first.
- Angelo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelo
- Angelo is located in Monroe County
- Leon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south) - Rockland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Rockland is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
- Burns
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west) - Melvina
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvina
- Melvina is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Cataract
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north) - Middle Ridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Ridge
- Middle Ridge is located in La Crosse County
- Saint Marys
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Marys have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys
- Saint Marys is located in Monroe County
- Norwalk
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Norwalk is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
- West Salem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
- West Salem is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,013 people
- Cashton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south) - Tunnel City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnel City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel City
- Tunnel City is located in Monroe County
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Burr Oak
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest) - Saint Joseph
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Saint Joseph is located in La Crosse County
- Tomah
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Burr Oak
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sparta. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sparta.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Sparta: www.spartawisconsin.org/
The official website for Monroe County: www.co.monroe.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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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- Sparta) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sparta. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.9444, Longitude: -90.8124 |
| <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 Sparta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |