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 Sun Prairie (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 Sun Prairie. 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 Sun Prairie ...
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 Sun Prairie: Sun Pr.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Sun Prairie is located in Dane 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 Dane County: Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock & Sauk.
Below are the counties that are near Sun Prairie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sun Prairie:
- Dane County (The home county of Sun Prairie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Burke
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - North Bristol
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bristol
- North Bristol is located in Dane County
- Pierceville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
- Pierceville is located in Dane County
- Cottage Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
- Cottage Grove is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,158 people
- Windsor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Windsor is located in Dane County
- DeForest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeForest
- DeForest is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,915 people
- Darwin ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Marshall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
- Marshall is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,016 people
- Maple Bluff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Bluff
- Maple Bluff is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,307 people
- Mendota
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west) - Morrisonville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisonville
- Morrisonville is located in Dane County
- Monona
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Madison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
- Madison is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 263,094 people
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Keyeser
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - North Leeds
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Leeds have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leeds
- North Leeds is located in Columbia County
- Arlington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Arlington is located in Columbia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 818 people
- Otsego
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otsego
- Otsego is located in Columbia County
- Columbus
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
- Columbus is located in Columbia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,117 people
- Fall River
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
- Fall River is located in Columbia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,757 people
- Poynette
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest) - Doylestown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doylestown
- Doylestown is located in Columbia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
- Lodi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Lodi is located in Columbia County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,109 people
- Rio
(18 miles [29 km] to the north) - Englewood
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
- Englewood is located in Columbia County
- Harmony Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove
- Harmony Grove is located in Columbia County
- Lake Wisconsin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Wisconsin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wisconsin
- Lake Wisconsin is located in Columbia County
- Dodge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Astico
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astico
- Astico is located in Dodge County
- Reeseville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reeseville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeseville
- Reeseville is located in Dodge County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 673 people
- Lowell
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast) - Clyman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east) - Beaver Dam
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Dam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Dam
- Beaver Dam is located in Dodge County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 16,303 people
- Randolph
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast) - Fox Lake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast) - Juneau
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juneau
- Juneau is located in Dodge County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,532 people
- Green County
- Dayton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Dayton is located in Green County
- Dayton
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Waterloo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east) - Lake Ripley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ripley
- Lake Ripley is located in Jefferson County
- Lake Mills
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mills
- Lake Mills is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,014 people
- Grellton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grellton
- Grellton is located in Jefferson County
- Johnson Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Creek
- Johnson Creek is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,065 people
- Carcajou
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carcajou
- Carcajou is located in Jefferson County
- Jefferson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast) - Lake Koshkonong
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Koshkonong have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Koshkonong
- Lake Koshkonong is located in Jefferson County
- Watertown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
- Watertown is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23,370 people
- Fort Atkinson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Atkinson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Atkinson
- Fort Atkinson is located in Jefferson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,372 people
- Helenville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helenville
- Helenville is located in Jefferson County
- Rock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Cooksville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Cooksville is located in Rock County
- Edgerton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton
- Edgerton is located in Rock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,595 people
- Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south) - Fulton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Fulton is located in Rock County
- Evansville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evansville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
- Evansville is located in Rock County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,556 people
- Sauk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Merrimac
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest) - Moon Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moon Valley
- Moon Valley is located in Sauk County
- Prairie du Sac village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairie du Sac village
- Prairie du Sac village is located in Sauk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,426 people
- Sauk City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sun Prairie, see our County-by-County Page for Sun Prairie.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sun Prairie ...
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 213 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sun Prairie.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sun Prairie. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sun Prairie and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sun Prairie.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2> of Sun Prairie.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Sun Prairie:
- 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 Dane County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Columbia County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Dodge County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Green County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Jefferson County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Rock County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Sauk County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Columbia County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Dane County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Dane County
Cemeteries Near Sun Prairie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sun Prairie.
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 Sun Prairie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Sun Prairie Memory Garden
(Less than 2 miles to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sun Prairie Memory Garden
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2129066 <3>
- Hoepker Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoepker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoepker Cemetery
- Bristol Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bristol Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bristol Cemetery
- Pierceville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pierceville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pierceville Cemetery
- Moravian Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moravian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moravian Cemetery
- Windsor Congregational Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Windsor Congregational Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1993592 <3>
- North Windsor Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Windsor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Windsor Cemetery
- Cottage Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottage Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottage Grove Cemetery
- Deansville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Deansville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Deansville Cemetery
- Spring Prairie - Hauge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)- The Spring Prairie - Hauge Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hauge Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Prairie - Hauge Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2267328 <3>
- Spring Prairie Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- The Spring Prairie Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- Spring Prairie Cemetery
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Prairie Lutheran Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2133271 <3>
- Medina Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Medina Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #88430 <3>
- Continue List (243 more) ...
- York Center Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the York Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the York Center Cemetery
- Oak Lawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Lawn Cemetery
- Blooming Grove Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blooming Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blooming Grove Cemetery
- York Center 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 Sun Prairie had a population of 704 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sun Prairie had a population of 35,119 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sun Prairie, with the one closest to Sun Prairie listed first.
- Burke
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest) - Pierceville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierceville
- Pierceville is located in Dane County
- North Bristol
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bristol
- North Bristol is located in Dane County
- Vilas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south) - Cottage Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage Grove
- Cottage Grove is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,158 people
- Deansville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deansville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deansville
- Deansville is located in Dane County
- Windsor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor
- Windsor is located in Dane County
- Darwin ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - East Bristol
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bristol
- East Bristol is located in Dane County
- DeForest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeForest
- DeForest is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,915 people
- Keyeser
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - Mendota
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west) - Continue List (14 more) ...
- Marshall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
- Marshall is located in Dane County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,016 people
- Hope
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Leeds
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marshall
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sun Prairie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sun Prairie.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sun Prairie. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Dane County: www.co.dane.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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Sun Prairie) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sun Prairie. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.1836, Longitude: -89.2323 In this case, the coordinates for Sun Prairie have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Sun Prairie, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |