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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 Spooner (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 Spooner. 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.

Spooner is located in Washburn 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 Washburn County: Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Rusk & Sawyer.

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

  • Washburn County     (The home county of Spooner)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spooner, with the one closest to Spooner listed first.
    • Shell Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Earl
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Madge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nobleton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nobleton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nobleton
      • Nobleton is located in Washburn County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nobleton
      • From Spooner to Nobleton
    • Minong
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minong have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minong
      • Minong is located in Washburn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Birchwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birchwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
      • Birchwood is located in Washburn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 426 people
  • Barron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spooner, with the one closest to Spooner listed first.
    • Haugen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haugen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haugen
      • Haugen is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Cumberland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
      • Cumberland is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,097 people
    • Rice Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
      • Rice Lake is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,498 people
    • Almena
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
    • Barron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Poskin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Cameron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cameron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,798 people
  • Burnett County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spooner, with the one closest to Spooner listed first.
    • Bashaw
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bashaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bashaw
      • Bashaw is located in Burnett County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bashaw
      • From Spooner to Bashaw
    • Hertel
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Webb Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Siren
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Webster
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Burnett County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 620 people
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spooner, with the one closest to Spooner listed first.
    • Clam Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Frederic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frederic have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frederic
      • Frederic is located in Polk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,080 people
  • Sawyer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spooner, with the one closest to Spooner listed first.
    • Stone Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Hayward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayward
      • Hayward is located in Sawyer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,352 people
    • Reserve
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Little Round Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Round Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Round Lake
      • Little Round Lake is located in Sawyer County
    • Chief Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chief Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chief Lake
      • Chief Lake is located in Sawyer County
    • Phipps
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Couderay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Couderay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couderay
      • Couderay is located in Sawyer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people

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

Cemeteries Near Spooner ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spooner.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Spooner, with the one closest to Spooner 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Spooner had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Spooner had a population of 2,553 people.

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

  • Shell Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bashaw
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bashaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bashaw
    • Bashaw is located in Burnett County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bashaw
    • From Spooner to Bashaw
  • Barronett
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barronett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barronett
    • Barronett is located in Barron County
  • Nobleton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nobleton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nobleton
    • Nobleton is located in Washburn County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Nobleton
    • From Spooner to Nobleton
  • Haugen
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haugen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haugen
    • Haugen is located in Barron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
  • Minong
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minong have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minong
    • Minong is located in Washburn County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
  • Clam Falls
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cumberland
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumberland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
    • Cumberland is located in Barron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,097 people
  • Rice Lake
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice Lake
    • Rice Lake is located in Barron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,498 people
  • Hayward
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayward have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayward
    • Hayward is located in Sawyer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,352 people
  • Reserve
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Comstock
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
    • Comstock is located in Barron County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Phipps
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Almena
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Barron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
    • Barron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Spooner ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spooner.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Spooner. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Spooner and those printed in the larger area surrounding Spooner.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Spooner.

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 Spooner:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Spooner) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Spooner. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8276, Longitude: -91.8875    
<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 Spooner, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.