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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 Foster City (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 Foster City. 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 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.

Foster City is located in Dickinson County.

To see how the shape of Michigan's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Dickinson County: Iron, Marquette, Menominee, Florence (WI) & Marinette (WI).

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

  • Dickinson County     (The home county of Foster City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • Felch
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Felch Mountain
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felch Mountain
      • Felch Mountain is located in Dickinson County
    • Ralph
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Turner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Turner is located in Dickinson County
    • Loretto
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Norway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
      • Norway is located in Dickinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,714 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norway <1>
    • Vulcan
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vulcan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
      • Vulcan is located in Dickinson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vulcan <1>
    • Quinnesec
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sagola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Iron Mountain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Channing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kingsford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsford
      • Kingsford is located in Dickinson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,923 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingsford <1>
  • Delta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • Saint Nicholas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Nicholas
      • Saint Nicholas is located in Delta County
    • Cornell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cornell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornell
      • Cornell is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cornell <1>
    • Schaffer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schaffer
      • Schaffer is located in Delta County
    • Bark River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bark River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bark River
      • Bark River is located in Delta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bark River <1>
    • Flat Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
      • Flat Rock is located in Delta County
    • Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Lathrop
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lathrop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathrop
      • Lathrop is located in Delta County
    • Chandler
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chandler
      • Chandler is located in Delta County
    • Trombly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trombly
      • Trombly is located in Delta County
      • Trombly has also been known as:
      • Trombley
    • Beaver
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
      • Beaver is located in Delta County
  • Iron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • Mansfield ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mansfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mansfield
      • Mansfield is located in Iron County
    • Crystal Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Mastodon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mastodon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mastodon
      • Mastodon is located in Iron County
    • Alpha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Clinch ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clinch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinch
      • Clinch is located in Iron County
  • Marquette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • Northland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Arnold
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arnold <1>
    • Watson ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
      • Watson is located in Marquette County
    • Austin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
      • Austin is located in Marquette County
    • Gwinn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gwinn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwinn
      • Gwinn is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gwinn <1>
    • Helena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Marquette County
    • McFarland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McFarland
      • McFarland is located in Marquette County
      • McFarland has also been known as:
      • McFarlands
    • Little Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake
      • Little Lake is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Lake <1>
  • Menominee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • LaBranche
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaBranche
      • LaBranche is located in Menominee County
    • Dryads ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dryads. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryads
      • Dryads is located in Menominee County
    • Hermansville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hermansville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermansville
      • Hermansville is located in Menominee County
    • Blom
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blom
      • Blom is located in Menominee County
    • Perronville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perronville
      • Perronville is located in Menominee County
    • Powers
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powers have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers
      • Powers is located in Menominee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 403 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Powers <1>
    • Spalding
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spalding have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spalding
      • Spalding is located in Menominee County
    • Wilson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
      • Wilson is located in Menominee County
    • Nadeau
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nadeau have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nadeau
      • Nadeau is located in Menominee County
    • Harris
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harris have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
      • Harris is located in Menominee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harris <1>
    • Carney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Banat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banat
      • Banat is located in Menominee County
  • Florence County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • Aurora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Florence County (WI)
    • Commonwealth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Commonwealth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Commonwealth
      • Commonwealth is located in Florence County (WI)
    • Florence
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Florence County (WI)
  • Marinette County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Foster City, with the one closest to Foster City listed first.
    • Niagara
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Niagara have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niagara
      • Niagara is located in Marinette County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,535 people
    • Pembine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pembine
      • Pembine is located in Marinette County (WI)

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

Newspapers Published in Foster City ...

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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Foster City.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Foster City, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Foster City.

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 Foster City:

Cemeteries Near Foster City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Foster City.

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 Foster City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Foster City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Foster City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Foster City Cemetery
  • Felch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Felch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Felch Cemetery
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Ralph Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ralph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ralph Cemetery
  • Waucedah Twp. Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Waucedah Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Waucedah Twp. Cemetery
  • Norway Twp. Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Forest Home Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Quinnesec Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Dickinson County Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dickinson County Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dickinson County Memorial Gardens Cemetery
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anthony Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthony Cemetery
  • Iron Mtn. Cemetery Park
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Continue List   (29 more) ...
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • St. Marys Church Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Church Cemetery
    • Meyer Twp. Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)

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 in 1895, Foster City had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Hardwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hardwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardwood
    • Hardwood is located in Dickinson County
  • Hylas ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hylas have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
    • Hylas is located in Dickinson County
  • Faunus ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Faunus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faunus
    • Faunus is located in Menominee County
  • Norway
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norway
    • Norway is located in Dickinson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,714 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norway <1>
  • Vulcan
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vulcan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
    • Vulcan is located in Dickinson County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vulcan <1>
  • Waucedah
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waucedah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waucedah
    • Waucedah is located in Dickinson County
  • Granite Bluff
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Granite Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granite Bluff
    • Granite Bluff is located in Dickinson County
  • Merriman
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merriman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merriman
    • Merriman is located in Dickinson County
  • Randville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Randville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randville
    • Randville is located in Dickinson County
  • Quinnesec
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Dryads ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dryads. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryads
    • Dryads is located in Menominee County
  • Pulp
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pulp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulp
    • Pulp is located in Florence County (WI)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Iron Mountain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Hermansville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hermansville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermansville
      • Hermansville is located in Menominee County
    • Sagola
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Foster City. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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- Foster City) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Foster City. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.9633, Longitude: -87.7440       In this case, the coordinates for Foster City have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Foster City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024