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 Abbotsford (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 Abbotsford. 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 Abbotsford ...
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.
Another variation: Abbottsford.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Abbotsford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Abbotsford.
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 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.
Abbotsford is located in Saint Clair County.
To see how the shape of Michigan's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Saint Clair County: Lapeer, Macomb & Sanilac.
Below are the counties that are near Abbotsford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Abbotsford:
- Saint Clair County (The home county of Abbotsford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Ruby
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ruby is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
- Goodells
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Goodells is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodells
- Atkins
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Atkins is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
- Avoca
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- North Street
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Wadhams
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Wadhams is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadhams
- Sparlingville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sparlingville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparlingville
- Emmett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Gardendale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gardendale is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardendale
- Blaine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Blaine is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Brockway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Brockway is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockway
- Smiths Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Lambs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lambs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambs
- Lambs has also been known as:
- Lamb
- Lapeer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Almont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Brown City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Imlay City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Burnside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Burnside is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Dryden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Attica
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Lum
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Lum is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lum
- Kings Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Kings Mill is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Mill
- Macomb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Memphis
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Memphis is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,170 people
- Former name for Memphis:
- Well's Settlement
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Memphis <1>
- Doyle ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Doyle is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
- Bates Corner ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bates Corner is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates Corner
- Beebe's Corners ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Beebe's Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe's Corners
- Coopertown ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coopertown is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
- Richmond
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Muttonville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Muttonville is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttonville
- Armada
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Armada is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armada
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,698 people
- Former names for Armada:
- Burk's Corners
- Honeyoe
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Armada <1>
- Berry's Corners ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Berry's Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry's Corners
- New Haven
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- New Haven is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,061 people
- Former names for New Haven:
- New Baltimore Station
- New Haven Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Haven <1>
- Omo ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Omo is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo
- Armada Corners ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Armada Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armada Corners
- Armada Corners has also been known as:
- Selleck's Corners
- Ray Center ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ray Center is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray Center
- Ray Center has also been known as:
- Ray
- Oakland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Leonard
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Campbells Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Campbells Corner is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbells Corner
- Lakeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeville is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
- Kline ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kline is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Kline has also been known as:
- Kline Settlement
- Sanilac County
- The following are listed by their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Amadore ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Amadore is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amadore
- Roseburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Roseburg is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseburg
- Lexington Heights
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Lexington Heights is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington Heights
- Speaker
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Speaker is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speaker
- Melvin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Melvin is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Croswell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Lexington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Peck
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Peck is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peck
- Population from the 2020 Census: 588 people
- Valley Center
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Center is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Center
- Applegate
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cash
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cash is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
- Watertown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Watertown is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
- Carsonville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Abbotsford, see our County-by-County Page for Abbotsford.
Cemeteries Near Abbotsford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Abbotsford.
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 Abbotsford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Abbotsford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Westbrook Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Goodells Poor Farm Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ruby Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Caswell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kinney Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the east of Emmett.
- The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Kenockee Cemetery
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #830 <2>
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Harmony Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Cemetery
- The Harmony Cemetery has also been known as:
- Collins Cemetery
- Conlan Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #675 <2>
- Lambs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Moore Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Cemetery
- The Moore Cemetery has also been known as:
- Kimball Cemetery
- Kimball Twp. Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2331833 <2>
- Continue List (218 more) ...
- Bartlett Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Memorial Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Williams Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
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, Abbotsford had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Abbotsford, with the one closest to Abbotsford listed first.
- Ruby
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ruby is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
- Goodells
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Goodells is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodells
- Thornton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Thornton is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
- Atkins
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Atkins is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
- Avoca
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fargo
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Fargo is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargo
- Wadhams
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Wadhams is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadhams
- North Street
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Emmett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Kimball
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lambs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lambs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambs
- Lambs has also been known as:
- Lamb
- Smiths Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Blaine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Blaine is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Brockway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Brockway is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockway
- Columbus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Abbotsford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Abbotsford.
Newspapers Published in Abbotsford ...
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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Abbotsford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Abbotsford, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Abbotsford.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Abbotsford:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Saint Clair County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lapeer County
- Macomb County
- Oakland County
- Sanilac County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
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 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. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Abbotsford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Abbotsford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |