RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Wayne County >> Detroit >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Michigan

The Commemorative Quarter for Michigan





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 Detroit (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 Detroit. 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.

Detroit is located in Wayne County and is the County Seat.

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 Wayne County: Macomb, Monroe, Oakland & Washtenaw.

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Detroit)
  • Macomb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Detroit, with the one closest to Detroit listed first.
    • Dalton Corners ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Van Dyke ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Van Dyke. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Dyke
      • Van Dyke is located in Macomb County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Van Dyke
      • From Detroit to Van Dyke
    • Center Line
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Center Line have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Center Line
      • Center Line is located in Macomb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,090 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Center Line <1>
    • Warren
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Warren is located in Macomb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 132,877 people
      • Warren has also been known as:
      • Cottageville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warren <1>
    • Eastpointe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastpointe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastpointe
      • Eastpointe is located in Macomb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,720 people
      • Former names for Eastpointe:
      • East Detroit
      • Half-Way
      • Halfway
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eastpointe <1>
    • Eagle Poine ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eagle Poine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Poine
      • Eagle Poine is located in Macomb County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eagle Poine
      • From Detroit to Eagle Poine
    • Roseville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Spinnings ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spinnings. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinnings
      • Spinnings is located in Macomb County
      • Spinnings has also been known as:
      • Spinning
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Spinnings
      • From Detroit to Spinnings
    • Saint Clair Shores
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fraser
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fraser have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraser
      • Fraser is located in Macomb County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,331 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fraser <1>
    • Cady ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Plumb Brook ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plumb Brook. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumb Brook
      • Plumb Brook is located in Macomb County
      • Plumb Brook has also been known as:
      • Plum Brook
      • Plumbrook Village
      • Plumbrook
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plumb Brook
      • From Detroit to Plumb Brook
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Detroit, with the one closest to Detroit listed first.
    • Flat Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • South Rockwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Rockwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Rockwood
      • South Rockwood is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,648 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Rockwood <1>
    • Carleton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Estral Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estral Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estral Beach
      • Estral Beach is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 396 people
    • Newport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Grafton ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grafton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
      • Grafton is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grafton
      • From Detroit to Grafton
    • Stony Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stony Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
      • Stony Point is located in Monroe County
    • Steiner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Scofield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodland Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Beach
      • Woodland Beach is located in Monroe County
  • Oakland County
  • Saint Clair County
  • Washtenaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Detroit, with the one closest to Detroit listed first.
    • Rawsonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rawsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawsonville
      • Rawsonville is located in Washtenaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rawsonville
      • From Detroit to Rawsonville
    • Salem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Willis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Willis is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willis <1>
    • Ypsilanti
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Dixboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Detroit ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Detroit.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Detroit, with the one closest to Detroit 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Detroit had a population of 205,876 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Detroit had a population of 665,369 people.

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

  • Delray
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delray have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delray
    • Delray is located in Wayne County
  • Highland Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Dearborn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • River Rouge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Conners Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conners Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conners Creek
    • Conners Creek is located in Wayne County
  • Ecorse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ecorse. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ecorse
    • Ecorse is located in Wayne County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,624 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ecorse <1>
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ecorse
    • From Detroit to Ecorse
  • Grosse Pointe
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Oak
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak
    • Oak is located in Wayne County
  • Wyandotte
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Warren
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warren have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
    • Warren is located in Macomb County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 132,877 people
    • Warren has also been known as:
    • Cottageville
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warren <1>
  • Royal Oak
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Roseville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Southfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Redford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redford
      • Redford is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redford <1>
    • Beech
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beech. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
      • Beech is located in Wayne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beech
      • From Detroit to Beech

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Detroit ...

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 489 newspapers that have been published in the area around Detroit.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Detroit. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Detroit and those printed in the larger area surrounding Detroit.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<6> of Detroit.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Detroit:

The official website for Detroit: www.detroitmi.gov/

The official website for Wayne County: www.waynecounty.com/

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>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>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 Detroit, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Detroit) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Detroit. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3401, Longitude: -83.0531    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025