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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 Edgewater (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 Edgewater. 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 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.

Edgewater is located in Benzie 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 Benzie County: Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Manistee & Wexford.

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

  • Benzie County     (The home county of Edgewater)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Edgewater, with the one closest to Edgewater listed first.
    • Aral ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Aral is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aral
      • Aral has also been known as:
      • Otter Creek
    • Beulah
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Honor
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Benzonia
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Platte River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Platte River is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte River
    • Elberta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Frankfort
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Ann
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bendon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Bendon is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bendon
    • Wallin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Wallin is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallin
    • Thompsonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Griner Station
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Griner Station is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griner Station
      • Griner Station has also been known as:
      • Print
    • Nessen City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Nessen City is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nessen City
  • Grand Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Edgewater, with the one closest to Edgewater listed first.
    • Interlochen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Karlin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Karlin is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karlin
    • Pavlovic Corner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Pavlovic Corner is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavlovic Corner
    • Grawn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Traverse City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Mayfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Mayfield is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Acme
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Kingsley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Kingsley is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,618 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingsley <1>
    • Devils Elbow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Devils Elbow is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Elbow
    • Summit City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Summit City is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit City
  • Leelanau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Edgewater, with the one closest to Edgewater listed first.
    • Empire
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jacktown ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jacktown is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacktown
      • Jacktown has also been known as:
      • Osborn
    • Burdickville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Burdickville is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdickville
    • Glen Haven ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Glen Haven is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
    • Glen Arbor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Maple City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Cedar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Port Oneida ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Port Oneida is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Oneida
    • Shalda Corners ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Shalda Corners is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shalda Corners
    • Solon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Solon is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon
    • Isadore ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Isadore is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
    • Bodus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bodus is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodus
    • Schomberg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Schomberg is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schomberg
  • Manistee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Edgewater, with the one closest to Edgewater listed first.
    • Malcolm
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Malcolm is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcolm
    • Henry ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Henry is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
    • Humphrey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Humphrey is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
    • Arcadia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Copemish
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Bear Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Pomona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Pomona is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
    • Harlan ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Harlan is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
    • Kaleva
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Chief Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Chief Lake is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chief Lake
    • Onekama
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Norwalk
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Norwalk is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
    • Onekama Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Onekama Junction is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onekama Junction
  • Wexford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Edgewater, with the one closest to Edgewater listed first.
    • Bagnall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bagnall is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagnall
    • Buckley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Glengary
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Glengary is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glengary
    • Mesick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sherman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sherman is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
    • Yuma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Yuma is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuma

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

Cemeteries Near Edgewater ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Edgewater.

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 Edgewater - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Edgewater covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Champion Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Platte Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Benzonia Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Crystal Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Empire Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Gilmore Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Homestead Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Almira Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (96 more) ...
    • Joyfield Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joyfield Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Joyfield Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the south of Benzonia.
      • The Joyfield Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Joyfield Twp. Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #821 <2>
    • Weldon Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Brundage Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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 Edgewater had a population of 62 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Benzonia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Empire
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Frankfort
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Weldon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Weldon is located in Benzie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
  • Lake Ann
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Burdickville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Burdickville is located in Leelanau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdickville
  • Glen Haven ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Glen Haven is located in Leelanau County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
  • Bendon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Bendon is located in Benzie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bendon
  • Cedar Run
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Run is located in Benzie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
  • Glen Arbor
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Thompsonville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Maple City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Arcadia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasanton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Pleasanton is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasanton
    • Nessen City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Nessen City is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nessen City

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

Newspapers Published in Edgewater ...

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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around Edgewater.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Edgewater, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Edgewater.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Edgewater:

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Edgewater) 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 Edgewater, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.