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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 Spruce (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 Spruce. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Spruce is located in Oconto 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 Oconto County: Brown, Forest, Langlade, Marinette, Menominee & Shawano.

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

  • Oconto County     (The home county of Spruce)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Lena
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
      • Lena is located in Oconto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 540 people
    • Hickory Corners
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Oconto Falls
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Frostville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Stiles Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Gillett
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett
      • Gillett is located in Oconto County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
    • Suring
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Oconto
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Breed
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Breed. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breed
      • Breed is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Breed
      • From Spruce to Breed
    • Pensaukee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pensaukee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensaukee
      • Pensaukee is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pensaukee
      • From Spruce to Pensaukee
    • Chase
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chase. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
      • Chase is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chase
      • From Spruce to Chase
    • Armstrong
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Armstrong came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
      • Armstrong is located in Oconto County
    • Mountain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Pulaski
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Flintville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Suamico
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suamico have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suamico
      • Suamico is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,064 people
    • Pittsfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
      • Pittsfield is located in Brown County
    • Howard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
      • Howard is located in Brown County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,346 people
    • Duck Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Duck Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck Creek
      • Duck Creek is located in Brown County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Duck Creek
      • From Spruce to Duck Creek
    • Benderville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Dyckesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wequiock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wequiock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wequiock
      • Wequiock is located in Brown County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wequiock
      • From Spruce to Wequiock
    • Bay Settlement
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Door County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Namur
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Namur. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Namur
      • Namur is located in Door County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Namur
      • From Spruce to Namur
    • Little Sturgeon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Brussels
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kewaunee County
  • Marinette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Coleman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Pound
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pound
      • Pound is located in Marinette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
    • Harmony
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Crivitz
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crivitz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crivitz
      • Crivitz is located in Marinette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 938 people
    • Peshtigo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
      • Lake is located in Marinette County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 1,136 people
    • Sweetheart City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Rubys Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Marinette
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Menominee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Legend Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Legend Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legend Lake
      • Legend Lake is located in Menominee County
    • Keshena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Outagamie County
    • Nichols
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nichols have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nichols
      • Nichols is located in Outagamie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
  • Shawano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Pulcifer
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Cecil
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cecil have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecil
      • Cecil is located in Shawano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
    • Zachow
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bonduel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Frazer Corners
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Slab City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slab City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
      • Slab City is located in Shawano County
    • Laney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laney
      • Laney is located in Shawano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Laney
      • From Spruce to Laney
    • Shawano
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Rose Lawn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rose Lawn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Lawn
      • Rose Lawn is located in Shawano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rose Lawn
      • From Spruce to Rose Lawn
    • Lunds
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Briarton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Briarton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarton
      • Briarton is located in Shawano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Briarton
      • From Spruce to Briarton
    • Middle Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Village
      • Middle Village is located in Shawano County
  • Menominee County (MI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spruce, with the one closest to Spruce listed first.
    • Menominee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Kew
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kew. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kew
      • Kew is located in Menominee County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kew
      • From Spruce to Kew

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

Cemeteries Near Spruce ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spruce.

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

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

  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kelly Brook Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kelly Brook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kelly Brook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spruce Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spruce Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spruce Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Volk Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Volk Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Volk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lena Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lena Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brazeau Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brazeau Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brazeau Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hickory Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hickory Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hickory Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Charles Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Wenceslaus Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Maple Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wanderers Rest Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wanderers Rest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wanderers Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (100 more) ...

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Spruce had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Oconto Falls
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Lena
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
    • Lena is located in Oconto County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 540 people
  • Gillett
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillett have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillett
    • Gillett is located in Oconto County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
  • Stiles Junction
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Stiles
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stiles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiles
    • Stiles is located in Oconto County
  • Coleman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Pound
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pound
    • Pound is located in Marinette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 358 people
  • Pulcifer
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Abrams
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abrams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abrams
    • Abrams is located in Oconto County
  • Brookside
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Brookside is located in Oconto County
  • Hayes
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
    • Hayes is located in Oconto County
  • Beaver
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
    • Beaver is located in Marinette County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Logan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Logan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
      • Logan is located in Oconto County
    • Pensaukee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pensaukee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensaukee
      • Pensaukee is located in Oconto County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pensaukee
      • From Spruce to Pensaukee
    • Oconto
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Spruce ...

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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spruce.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spruce, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spruce.

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 websites either 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 Spruce:

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

The official website for Oconto County: www.co.oconto.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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<6>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 Spruce, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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- Spruce) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Spruce. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.9523, Longitude: -88.1648    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025