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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 Waukesha (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 Waukesha. 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 Waukesha ...

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.

In past government published Postal Guides, Waukesha was referred to as Waukesha Courthouse.

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

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.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 hospitals 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.

Waukesha is located in Waukesha County and is the County Seat.

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 Waukesha County: Dodge, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth & Washington.

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

  • Waukesha County     (The home county of Waukesha)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waukesha, with the one closest to Waukesha listed first.
    • Pewaukee
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Pewaukee is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pewaukee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,703 people
    • Calhoun
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Calhoun is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
    • Pewaukee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Pewaukee is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pewaukee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,099 people
    • Prospect
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Berlin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Brookfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brookfield is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,164 people
    • Pewaukee West
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Vernon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Vernon is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Genesee Depot
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Genesee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Genesee is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
    • Wales
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Wales is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,651 people
    • Elm Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Dodge County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waukesha, with the one closest to Waukesha listed first.
    • Lac La Belle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lac La Belle is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lac La Belle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
    • Lake Lac La Belle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Lac La Belle is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lac La Belle
    • Concord
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Concord is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Sullivan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Sullivan is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 666 people
    • Ixonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Ixonia is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ixonia
    • Palmyra
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Palmyra is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
    • Rome
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Rome is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
    • Farmington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Helenville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Hebron
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Hebron is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
    • Watertown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Johnson Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Kenosha County
  • Milwaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waukesha, with the one closest to Waukesha listed first.
    • Hales Corners
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Hales Corners is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Corners
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,553 people
    • Wauwatosa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • West Allis
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Saint Martins
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Greenfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • West Granville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Greendale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Greendale is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,127 people
    • West Milwaukee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • West Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milwaukee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,090 people
    • Franklin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Franklin is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,925 people
    • Union Church
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Milwaukee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Brown Deer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Brown Deer is located in Milwaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Deer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,191 people
  • Ozaukee County
  • Racine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waukesha, with the one closest to Waukesha listed first.
    • Caldwell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Wind Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Waterford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Waterford is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,618 people
    • Kneeland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Honey Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Rochester
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Raymond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Caledonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Eagle Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Lake
    • Yorkville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Yorkville is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Browns Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Browns Lake is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Lake
    • Burlington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Burlington is located in Racine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,898 people
  • Walworth County
  • Washington County

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

Cemeteries Near Waukesha ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waukesha.

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 Waukesha - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Waukesha, with the one closest to Waukesha 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Waukesha had a population of 6,321 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Waukesha had a population of 72,376 people.

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

  • Duplainville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Duplainville is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplainville
  • Prospect
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Calhoun
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Calhoun is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
  • New Berlin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Brookfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookfield is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,164 people
  • Pewaukee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pewaukee is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pewaukee
  • Genesee Depot
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Genesee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Genesee is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
  • Vernon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Vernon is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
  • Wales
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Wales is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wales
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,651 people
  • Elm Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Marcy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Marcy is located in Waukesha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcy
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Sussex
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Hartland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartland is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,338 people
    • North Prairie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Prairie is located in Waukesha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Prairie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,236 people

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Waukesha ...

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 306 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waukesha.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Waukesha. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Waukesha and those printed in the larger area surrounding Waukesha.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3> of Waukesha.

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 Waukesha:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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 Waukesha, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Waukesha) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.