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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 Donaldson (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 Donaldson. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Donaldson is located in Chippewa 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 Chippewa County: Luce & Mackinac.

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

  • Chippewa County     (The home county of Donaldson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donaldson, with the one closest to Donaldson listed first.
    • Dafter
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dafter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dafter
      • Dafter is located in Chippewa County
    • Barbeau
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Ridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
      • Oak Ridge is located in Chippewa County
    • Kinross
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Stirlingville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stirlingville
      • Stirlingville is located in Chippewa County
    • Gardenville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
      • Gardenville is located in Chippewa County
    • Pickford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Brimley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sault Sainte Marie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Rudyard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bay Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Mills
      • Bay Mills is located in Chippewa County
    • Stalwart
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stalwart. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stalwart
      • Stalwart is located in Chippewa County
    • Dryburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryburg
      • Dryburg is located in Chippewa County
  • Mackinac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Donaldson, with the one closest to Donaldson listed first.
    • Simmons ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Simmons. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmons
      • Simmons is located in Mackinac County
    • Cedarville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hessel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Pontchartrain Shores
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontchartrain Shores
      • Pontchartrain Shores is located in Mackinac County
    • Port Dolomite
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Dolomite
      • Port Dolomite is located in Mackinac County

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

Cemeteries Near Donaldson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Donaldson.

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

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

  • Donaldson Presbyterian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Donaldson Presbyterian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Donaldson Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Donaldson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Donaldson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Donaldson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oaklawn Chapel Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaklawn Chapel Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaklawn Chapel Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barbeau Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barbeau Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barbeau Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dafter Twp. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dafter Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dafter Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosedale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosedale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rosedale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lake View Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Keldon Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Keldon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Keldon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cottage Park Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottage Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottage Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gray Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gray Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gray Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (62 more) ...
    • Catholic Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Finnish Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Finnish Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Finnish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wilwalk Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilwalk Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilwalk 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Donaldson had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Barbeau
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Rosedale
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosedale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
    • Rosedale is located in Chippewa County
  • Kinross
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Stirlingville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stirlingville
    • Stirlingville is located in Chippewa County
  • Pickford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Rudyard
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bay Mills
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Mills
    • Bay Mills is located in Chippewa County
  • Stalwart
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stalwart. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stalwart
    • Stalwart is located in Chippewa County
  • Hessel
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Cedarville
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Raber
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raber have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raber
    • Raber is located in Chippewa County

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

Newspapers Published in Donaldson ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Donaldson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Donaldson, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Donaldson.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Donaldson:

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

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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 Donaldson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Donaldson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Donaldson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.3167, Longitude: -84.3636       In this case, the coordinates for Donaldson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025