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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 West Salem (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 West Salem. 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 West Salem ...

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 West Salem: W. Salem

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 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.

West Salem is located in La Crosse 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 La Crosse County: Houston (MN), Winona (MN), Jackson, Monroe, Trempealeau & Vernon.

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

  • La Crosse County     (The home county of West Salem)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Bangor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in La Crosse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
    • Barre Mills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Onalaska
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onalaska have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onalaska
      • Onalaska is located in La Crosse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,108 people
    • Rockland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Mindoro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Saint Joseph
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Grand Crossing
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Holmen
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holmen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmen
      • Holmen is located in La Crosse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,368 people
    • Middle Ridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • North La Crosse
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Crosse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Crosse
      • North La Crosse is located in La Crosse County
    • French Island
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Midway
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Marshland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshland
      • Marshland is located in Buffalo County
    • Bluff Siding
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • North Bend
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for North Bend. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bend
      • North Bend is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to North Bend
      • From West Salem to North Bend
    • Melrose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Black River Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Taylor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
      • Taylor is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 473 people
    • Millston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Sparta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Angelo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Melvina
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cashton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cashton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashton
      • Cashton is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,111 people
    • Norwalk
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Oil City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Monroe County
    • Tunnel City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnel City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel City
      • Tunnel City is located in Monroe County
    • Wilton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
      • Wilton is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
    • Tomah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tomah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomah
      • Tomah is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,363 people
  • Trempealeau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Galesville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Trempealeau
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trempealeau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trempealeau
      • Trempealeau is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,663 people
    • Ettrick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ettrick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ettrick
      • Ettrick is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 511 people
    • Frenchville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Wrights Corners
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Blair
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair
      • Blair is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,330 people
  • Vernon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Coon Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Chaseburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Stoddard
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Newry
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Westby
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Newton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Vernon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newton
      • From West Salem to Newton
    • Genoa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Viroqua
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viroqua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viroqua
      • Viroqua is located in Vernon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,394 people
    • Purdy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Purdy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purdy
      • Purdy is located in Vernon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Purdy
      • From West Salem to Purdy
    • Ontario
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontario have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
      • Ontario is located in Vernon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 561 people
    • Liberty Pole
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Allamakee County (IA)
  • Houston County (MN)
  • Winona County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Salem, with the one closest to West Salem listed first.
    • Dakota
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dakota have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dakota
      • Dakota is located in Winona County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 307 people
    • Nodine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Lamoille
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Homer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Homer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homer
      • Homer is located in Winona County (MN)
    • Wilson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Winona County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilson
      • From West Salem to Wilson
    • Winona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near West Salem ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Salem.

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

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

  • Hamilton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Neshonoc Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Neshonoc Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Neshonoc Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gate of Heaven Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gate of Heaven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gate of Heaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wet Coulee Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Onalaska City Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Campbell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campbell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campbell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rockland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Farmington Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farmington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farmington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (203 more) ...
    • Welsh Congregational Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welsh Congregational Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welsh Congregational Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Halfway Creek Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Halfway Creek Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Halfway Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 West Salem had a population of 542 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, West Salem had a population of 5,013 people.

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

  • Barre Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Burns
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burns have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns
    • Burns is located in La Crosse County
  • Onalaska
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Onalaska have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onalaska
    • Onalaska is located in La Crosse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,108 people
  • Medary
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medary
    • Medary is located in La Crosse County
  • Grand Crossing
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Saint Joseph
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Rockland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Mindoro
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • North La Crosse
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North La Crosse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North La Crosse
    • North La Crosse is located in La Crosse County
  • Middle Ridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Holmen
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holmen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmen
    • Holmen is located in La Crosse County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,368 people
  • Midway
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • La Crosse
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Stevenstown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stevenstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stevenstown
      • Stevenstown is located in La Crosse County
    • Burr Oak
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Oak
      • Burr Oak is located in La Crosse County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of West Salem ...

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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Salem.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of West Salem. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of West Salem and those printed in the larger area surrounding West Salem.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of West Salem.

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 West Salem:

The official website for West Salem: www.westsalemwi.com/

The official website for La Crosse County: www.co.la-crosse.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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Salem) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Salem. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.8991, Longitude: -91.0813    
<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 West Salem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025