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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 Twin Lakes (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 Twin Lakes. 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 Twin Lakes ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Twin Lakes: Twin Lks.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Twin Lakes. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Twin Lakes.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Twin Lakes is located in Kenosha 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 Kenosha County: Lake (IL), McHenry (IL), Racine & Walworth.

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

  • Kenosha County     (The home county of Twin Lakes)
  • Jefferson County
    • Palmyra
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Palmyra is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
  • Milwaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Union Church
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Saint Martins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Franklin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Franklin is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,925 people
    • Hales Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
    • Greendale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Greendale is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,127 people
  • Racine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Bohners Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Bohners Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohners Lake
    • Burlington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Burlington is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
    • Browns Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Browns Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
    • Eagle Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Eagle Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
    • Rochester
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Union Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Union Grove is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,266 people
    • Honey Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Waterford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Waterford is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
    • Yorkville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Yorkville is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Caldwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Wind Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Sturtevant
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rock County
  • Walworth County
  • Waukesha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Mukwonago
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Mukwonago is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mukwonago
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,107 people
    • Big Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Big Bend is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,487 people
    • Durham
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Eagleville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Muskego
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Muskego is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskego
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,317 people
    • Vernon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Vernon is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Eagle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • North Prairie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • North Prairie is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,236 people
    • Prospect
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Tess Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Genesee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Genesee is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
    • Genesee Depot
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Boone County (IL)
  • Cook County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Barrington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Barrington Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Barrington Hills is located in Cook County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,152 people
    • Inverness
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Capri Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Capri Village is located in Cook County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capri Village
  • Kane County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Carpentersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Freeman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • West Dundee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • East Dundee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Gilberts
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Sleepy Hollow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lake County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Channel Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Channel Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Channel Lake
    • Lake Catherine
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Catherine is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Catherine
    • Fox Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Antioch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Antioch is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,174 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Antioch <1>
    • Fox Lake Hills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fox Lake Hills is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Lake Hills
    • Ingleside
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Villa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Monaville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Long Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Long Lake is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Lake
    • Round Lake Heights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lindenhurst
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Lindenhurst is located in Lake County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindenhurst
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,117 people
      • Lindenhurst has also been known as:
      • Lindenhurst village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindenhurst <1>
    • Round Lake Beach
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • McHenry County (IL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes listed first.
    • Richmond
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Solon Mills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Spring Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Pistakee Highlands
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Pistakee Highlands is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pistakee Highlands
    • Ringwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sunnyside
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Sunnyside is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
    • Johnsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Hebron
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hebron is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,175 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hebron <1>
    • McCullom Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • McCullom Lake is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullom Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
    • Greenwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenwood is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
    • Wonder Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wonder Lake is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wonder Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,837 people
      • Wonder Lake has also been known as:
      • Wonder Lake village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wonder Lake <1>
    • Lakemoor
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Lakemoor is located in McHenry County (IL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakemoor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,912 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakemoor <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Twin Lakes ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Twin Lakes.

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 Twin Lakes - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Twin Lakes covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Twin Lakes, with the one closest to Twin Lakes 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Twin Lakes had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Twin Lakes had a population of 6,234 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Twin Lakes ...

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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Twin Lakes.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Twin Lakes. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Twin Lakes and those printed in the larger area surrounding Twin Lakes.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<2> of Twin Lakes.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Twin Lakes:

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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Twin Lakes) 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 Twin Lakes, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.