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 Sylvan (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 Sylvan. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Sylvan is located in Richland County.
To see how the shape of Wisconsin's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Richland County: Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Sauk & Vernon.
Below are the counties that are near Sylvan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sylvan:
- Richland County (The home county of Sylvan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Sabin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Sabin is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabin
- Viola
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Viola is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 665 people
- Boaz
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Boaz is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boaz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Gillingham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Gillingham is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillingham
- Bloom City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bloom City is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloom City
- Woodstock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Woodstock is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Yuba
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Yuba is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
- Richland Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Richland Center is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Center
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,949 people
- Hub City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Hub City is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hub City
- Westport
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Westport is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Balmoral
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Balmoral is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balmoral
- Ithaca
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Ithaca is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ithaca
- Aubrey
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Aubrey is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aubrey
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Soldiers Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Soldiers Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldiers Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
- Bell Center
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bell Center is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Center
- Population from the 2020 Census: 114 people
- Gays Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gays Mills is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
- Towerville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Towerville is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towerville
- Petersburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Petersburg is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Mount Sterling
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Sterling is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sterling
- Population from the 2020 Census: 196 people
- Rising Sun
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Rising Sun is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
- Steuben
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Steuben is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steuben
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Boydtown
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Boydtown is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boydtown
- Ferryville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Ferryville is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferryville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Freeman
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Freeman is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Eastman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Eastman is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 404 people
- Wauzeka
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wauzeka is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wauzeka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Blue River
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Blue River is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue River
- Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
- Muscoda
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Muscoda is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muscoda
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,236 people
- Boscobel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Boscobel is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boscobel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,134 people
- Woodman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Woodman is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Werley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Werley is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Werley
- Fennimore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fennimore is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fennimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,469 people
- Millville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Millville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- Iowa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Avoca
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Avoca is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 620 people
- Highland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Highland is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 826 people
- Centreville ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Centreville is located in Iowa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Former name for Centreville:
- Dry Bone
- Juneau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Union Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Union Center is located in Juneau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
- Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
- Wonewoc
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wonewoc is located in Juneau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonewoc
- Population from the 2020 Census: 789 people
- Elroy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Elroy is located in Juneau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,306 people
- La Crosse County
- Middle Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Middle Ridge is located in La Crosse County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Ridge
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Oil City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Oil City is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Cashton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cashton is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,111 people
- Melvina
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Melvina is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Wilton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Wilton is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
- Norwalk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Norwalk is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
- Kendall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kendall is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
- Sauk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Lime Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Lime Ridge is located in Sauk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Ridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 163 people
- Sandusky
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sandusky is located in Sauk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- Ironton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ironton is located in Sauk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
- La Valle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- La Valle is located in Sauk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Valle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 360 people
- Loganville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Loganville is located in Sauk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
- Vernon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Readstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Readstown is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 414 people
- Liberty
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- La Farge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- La Farge is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Farge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 763 people
- Liberty Pole
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Liberty Pole is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Pole
- Viroqua
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Viroqua is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viroqua
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,394 people
- White City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- White City is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
- Fargo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Fargo is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
- Westby
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Westby is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westby
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,254 people
- Ontario
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ontario is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
- Population from the 2020 Census: 561 people
- West Prairie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- West Prairie is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Prairie
- Hillsboro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hillsboro is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,387 people
- Mount Tabor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Tabor is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor
- Newry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newry is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newry
- Allamakee County (IA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Harpers Ferry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lansing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sylvan, see our County-by-County Page for Sylvan.
Cemeteries Near Sylvan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sylvan.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Sylvan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sylvan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Sylvan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Peters Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sugar Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bender Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bender Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bender Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the southeast of Viola.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2136070 <3>
- Felton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felton Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Felton Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the northwest of Boaz.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #87931 <3>
- Hopewell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- North Clayton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mill Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ash Ridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Berry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Viola Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (226 more) ...
- Conkle Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Ridge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Manning Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
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 Sylvan had a population of 47 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sylvan, with the one closest to Sylvan listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Sabin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Sabin is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabin
- North Clayton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- North Clayton is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Clayton
- Mill Creek ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mill Creek is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
- Viola
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Viola is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 665 people
- Readstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Readstown is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Readstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 414 people
- Soldiers Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Soldiers Grove is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldiers Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
- Five Points
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Five Points is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Boaz
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Boaz is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boaz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Liberty
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Gillingham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Gillingham is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillingham
- Bloom City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bloom City is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloom City
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- West Lima
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Lima is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lima
- Woodstock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Woodstock is located in Richland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- La Farge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- La Farge is located in Vernon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Farge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 763 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sylvan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sylvan.
Newspapers Published in Sylvan ...
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 130 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sylvan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sylvan, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sylvan.
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 Sylvan:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Pages specific to Richland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Crawford County
- Grant County
- Iowa County
- Juneau County
- La Crosse County
- Monroe County
- Sauk County
- Vernon County
- Allamakee County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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 from Point A (ie- Sylvan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Sylvan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |