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

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 Hart (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 Hart. 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 and doctors 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.

Hart is located in Oceana 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 Oceana County: Lake, Mason, Muskegon & Newaygo.

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

  • Oceana County     (The home county of Hart)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hart, with the one closest to Hart listed first.
    • Mears
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • French Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Town
      • French Town is located in Oceana County
    • Pentwater
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Shelby
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Elbridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elbridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
      • Elbridge is located in Oceana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elbridge
      • From Hart to Elbridge
    • Cobmoosa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cobmoosa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobmoosa
      • Cobmoosa is located in Oceana County
      • Cobmoosa has also been known as:
      • Cob Moo Sa
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cobmoosa
      • From Hart to Cobmoosa
    • New Era
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
      • New Era is located in Oceana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 440 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Era <1>
    • Ferry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Walkerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Rothbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Camp Claybanks ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hesperia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hart, with the one closest to Hart listed first.
    • Marlborough
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marlborough. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlborough
      • Marlborough is located in Lake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marlborough
      • From Hart to Marlborough
    • Baldwin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sauble
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sauble. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauble
      • Sauble is located in Lake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sauble
      • From Hart to Sauble
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hart, with the one closest to Hart listed first.
    • Meisenheimer Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Wiley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Fern
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fern have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern
      • Fern is located in Mason County
      • Fern has also been known as:
      • Adamsville
    • White Pine Village ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Amber
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Buttersville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buttersville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttersville
      • Buttersville is located in Mason County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Buttersville
      • From Hart to Buttersville
    • Custer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Ludington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Scottville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Carr
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carr
      • Carr is located in Mason County
      • Carr has also been known as:
      • Carr Settlement
      • McCumber Settlement
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carr
      • From Hart to Carr
    • Elm Flats ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elm Flats. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Flats
      • Elm Flats is located in Mason County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elm Flats
      • From Hart to Elm Flats
    • Sugar Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Muskegon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hart, with the one closest to Hart listed first.
    • Montague
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montague have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
      • Montague is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,365 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montague <1>
    • Whitehall
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Lakewood Club
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood Club have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Club
      • Lakewood Club is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,292 people
    • Sylvan Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Wabaningo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wabaningo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabaningo
      • Wabaningo is located in Muskegon County
    • Brunswick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brunswick. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
      • Brunswick is located in Muskegon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brunswick
      • From Hart to Brunswick
    • Holton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
      • Holton is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holton <1>
    • Twin Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dalton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hart, with the one closest to Hart listed first.
    • Huber
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Aetna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Reeman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bitely
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Woodland Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Lilley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lilley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilley
      • Lilley is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lilley
      • From Hart to Lilley
    • Fremont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fremont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Fremont is located in Newaygo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,102 people
      • Former name for Fremont:
      • Fremont Center
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Brohman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Brookside
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brookside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
      • Brookside is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brookside
      • From Hart to Brookside
    • Sitka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sitka. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
      • Sitka is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sitka
      • From Hart to Sitka
    • Wooster
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wooster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooster
      • Wooster is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wooster
      • From Hart to Wooster
    • Ramona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ramona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramona
      • Ramona is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ramona
      • From Hart to Ramona

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

Cemeteries Near Hart ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hart.

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

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

  • North Hart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Hart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hart Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Lever Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lever Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lever Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Hart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Hart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mears Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mears Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mears Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Randall Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Randall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Randall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Round Lake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Round Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Round Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Corners Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Corners Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Corners Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • First Shelby Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Shelby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Shelby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oceana Center Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oceana Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oceana Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (123 more) ...
    • Genereau Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Genereau Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Genereau Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mennonite Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mennonite Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mennonite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Elbridge Twp. Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elbridge Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elbridge Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Hart had a population of 757 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Hart had a population of 2,089 people.

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

  • Mears
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Shelby
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Pentwater
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Elbridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elbridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
    • Elbridge is located in Oceana County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Elbridge
    • From Hart to Elbridge
  • Cobmoosa
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cobmoosa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobmoosa
    • Cobmoosa is located in Oceana County
    • Cobmoosa has also been known as:
    • Cob Moo Sa
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cobmoosa
    • From Hart to Cobmoosa
  • Crystal Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystal Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Valley
    • Crystal Valley is located in Oceana County
  • New Era
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
    • New Era is located in Oceana County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 440 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Era <1>
  • Ferry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Wiley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Fern
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fern have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern
    • Fern is located in Mason County
    • Fern has also been known as:
    • Adamsville
  • Rothbury
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Riverton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
    • Riverton is located in Mason County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Buttersville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buttersville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttersville
      • Buttersville is located in Mason County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Buttersville
      • From Hart to Buttersville
    • Volney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Volney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volney
      • Volney is located in Newaygo County
    • Amber
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Hart ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hart.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Hart. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Hart and those printed in the larger area surrounding Hart.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6> of Hart.

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 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 Hart:

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 Hart, 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- Hart) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Hart. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.6990, Longitude: -86.3638