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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 Kent City (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 Kent City. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Kent City is located in Kent 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 Kent County: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo & Ottawa.

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

  • Kent County     (The home county of Kent City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Casnovia
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Sparta
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lisbon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Lisbon is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Cedar Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Edgerton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Edgerton is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton
    • Rockford
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Sand Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Belmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Sheffield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Sheffield is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield
    • Comstock Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Kinney
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Kinney is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinney
    • Northview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Northview is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northview
    • Walker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Ionia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Belding
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Smyrna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Mecosta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Morley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Borland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Borland is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borland
    • Rustford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rustford is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustford
    • Stanwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Pierson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Howard City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Coral
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Trufant
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gowen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Amble
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Amble is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amble
    • Greenville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Langston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Langston is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
    • Eureka Place
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Eureka Place is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Place
    • Lakeview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Muskegon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Bailey
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Canada Corners
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Canada Corners is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canada Corners
    • Slocum
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Slocum is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum
    • Ravenna
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Morgan Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Morgan Corners is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Corners
    • Sullivan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Sullivan is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
    • Wolf Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Wolf Lake is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
    • Brunswick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Brunswick is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
    • Holton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fruitport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Twin Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Muskegon Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Muskegon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Ashland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ashland is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
    • Sun
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Sun is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
    • Grant
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bridgeton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bridgeton is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
    • Newaygo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Croton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Croton is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
    • Bishop
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bishop is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Riverview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Riverview is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
    • Sitka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Sitka is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
    • Brookside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Brookside is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Fremont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Wooster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Wooster is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooster
    • Reeman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Reeman is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeman
  • Oceana County
    • Hesperia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kent City, with the one closest to Kent City listed first.
    • Wright
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Wright is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
    • Conklin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Marne
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Coopersville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lamont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lamont is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
    • Eastmanville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Eastmanville is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastmanville
    • Nunica
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Allendale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bauer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Bauer is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
    • Jenison
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Rusk
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Rusk is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • Robinson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Robinson is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson
    • Hudsonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Kent City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kent City.

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 Kent City - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • South Casnovia Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Idlewild Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Chubbuck Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Greenwood Cemetery is located in Sparta.
  • Bennet Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • St. Francis Xavier's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lisbon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Fairplains Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Myers Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hilton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Seamans Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (263 more) ...
    • Bell Place Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • McNitt Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Algoma Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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 Kent City had a population of 304 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Kent City had a population of 1,212 people.

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

  • Casnovia
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Sparta
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bailey
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lisbon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Lisbon is located in Kent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
  • Harrisburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Harrisburg is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
  • Ashland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ashland is located in Newaygo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
  • Englishville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Englishville is located in Kent County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englishville
  • Sun
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Sun is located in Newaygo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
  • Wright
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Wright is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
  • Grant
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Ravenna
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Conklin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Reno
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Reno is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
    • Alpine
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Alpine is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Edgerton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Edgerton is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton

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

Newspapers Published in Kent City ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kent City.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Kent City, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Kent City.

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 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 Kent City:

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 Kent City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Kent City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.