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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 Holton (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 Holton. 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 hospitals 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.

Holton is located in Muskegon 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 Muskegon County: Kent, Newaygo, Oceana & Ottawa.

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

  • Muskegon County     (The home county of Holton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holton, with the one closest to Holton listed first.
    • Brunswick
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Brunswick is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
    • Twin Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakewood Club
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Lakewood Club is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Club
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,292 people
    • Wolf Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Wolf Lake is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
    • Dalton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dalton is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
    • Morgan Corners
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Morgan Corners is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Corners
    • Whitehall
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Muskegon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • North Muskegon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Montague
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Sullivan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Sullivan is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
    • Slocum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Slocum is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum
    • Bailey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holton, with the one closest to Holton listed first.
    • Casnovia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Kent City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lisbon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Lisbon is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Sparta
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sand Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Mason County
    • Fern
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Fern is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern
      • Fern has also been known as:
      • Adamsville
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holton, with the one closest to Holton listed first.
    • Pierson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Howard City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holton, with the one closest to Holton listed first.
    • Sitka
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sitka is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
    • Reeman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Reeman is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeman
    • Brookside
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Brookside is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Fremont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fremont is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,102 people
      • Former name for Fremont:
      • Fremont Center
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Bridgeton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Bridgeton is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
    • Bishop
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Bishop is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Wooster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Wooster is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooster
    • Newaygo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Aetna
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Aetna is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
    • Grant
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Huber
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Huber is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huber
    • Ashland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ashland is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
    • White Cloud
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Oceana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holton, with the one closest to Holton listed first.
    • Hesperia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Ferry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Ferry is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry
    • Rothbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • New Era
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cobmoosa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Cobmoosa is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobmoosa
      • Cobmoosa has also been known as:
      • Cob Moo Sa
    • Shelby
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Elbridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Elbridge is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
    • Walkerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Camp Claybanks ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Camp Claybanks is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Claybanks
    • Hart
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hart is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,089 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hart <1>
    • Mears
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • French Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • French Town is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Town
    • Pentwater
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Holton, with the one closest to Holton listed first.
    • Conklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ferrysburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Nunica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Spring Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Wright
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Wright is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
    • Coopersville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Grand Haven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Eastmanville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Eastmanville is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastmanville
    • Marne
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lamont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Lamont is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
    • Robinson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Robinson is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson

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

Cemeteries Near Holton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Holton.

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

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

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

  • Holton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Holton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Wilde Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Reeman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Clark Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Twin Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Evans Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Blue Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • St. Anthonys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (173 more) ...
    • Indian Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Horton Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Holton had a population of 188 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Twin Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Brookside
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Brookside is located in Newaygo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
  • Fremont
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fremont is located in Newaygo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,102 people
    • Former name for Fremont:
    • Fremont Center
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
  • Bridgeton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bridgeton is located in Newaygo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
  • Hesperia
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Dalton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dalton is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
  • Moorland
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Moorland is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorland
  • Newaygo
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Ferry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Ferry is located in Oceana County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry
  • Aetna
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Aetna is located in Newaygo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
  • Whitehall
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • North Muskegon
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Muskegon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grant
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Rothbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Holton ...

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 111 newspapers that have been published in the area around Holton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Holton, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Holton.

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 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 Holton:

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>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 Holton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Holton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.