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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 Martins Bluff (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 Martins Bluff. 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.

Name Variations for Martins Bluff ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Martins Bluff: Martins Blf. (or less commonly used: Martins Bluf.)
  • While the name of this community is Martins Bluff, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Martins Bluff may originally have been Martin's Bluff.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Martins Bluff might be written as Martin Bluff.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

Martins Bluff is located in Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix County: Antrim, Emmet & Otsego.

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

  • Charlevoix County     (The home county of Martins Bluff)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martins Bluff, with the one closest to Martins Bluff listed first.
    • Nomad
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nomad have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomad
      • Nomad is located in Charlevoix County
    • Saint James
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Charlevoix
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bay Shore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Shore
      • Bay Shore is located in Charlevoix County
    • Norwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
      • Norwood is located in Charlevoix County
    • Ironton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
      • Ironton is located in Charlevoix County
  • Emmet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martins Bluff, with the one closest to Martins Bluff listed first.
    • Good Hart
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Middle Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Village
      • Middle Village is located in Emmet County
    • Cross Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Village
      • Cross Village is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cross Village <3>
    • Stutsmanville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stutsmanville
      • Stutsmanville is located in Emmet County
    • Forest Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Beach
      • Forest Beach is located in Emmet County
    • Marsh Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Corner
      • Marsh Corner is located in Emmet County
    • Harbor Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbor Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor Springs
      • Harbor Springs is located in Emmet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbor Springs <3>
    • Bay Harbor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wequetonsing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wequetonsing
      • Wequetonsing is located in Emmet County
    • Ramona Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramona Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramona Park
      • Ramona Park is located in Emmet County
  • Mackinac County
    • Port Inland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Inland
      • Port Inland is located in Mackinac County

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

Newspapers Published in Martins Bluff ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Martins Bluff.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Martins Bluff, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Martins Bluff.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Martins Bluff:

Cemeteries Near Martins Bluff ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Martins Bluff.

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • St. James Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Twp. Cemetery
  • Garden Island Indian Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Garden Island Indian Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garden Island Indian Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • St. Ignatius' Catholic Chuch Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Ignatius' Catholic Chuch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Ignatius' Catholic Chuch Cemetery
  • Beran Baptist Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beran Baptist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beran Baptist Cemetery
  • Island View Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Island View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Island View Cemetery
  • Readmond Twp. Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Readmond Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Readmond Twp. Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • Frienship Twp. Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frienship Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frienship Twp. Cemetery
  • Brookside Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brookside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brookside Cemetery
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Greensky Indian Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greensky Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greensky Indian Cemetery
    • Gould City Twp. Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gould City Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gould City Twp. Cemetery

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.<7>

While we didn't find Martins Bluff in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Martins Bluff.

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

  • Saint James
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Good Hart
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Cross Village
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Village
    • Cross Village is located in Emmet County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cross Village <3>
  • Charlevoix
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Burgess
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burgess have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgess
    • Burgess is located in Charlevoix County
  • Harbor Springs
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbor Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor Springs
    • Harbor Springs is located in Emmet County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,203 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbor Springs <3>
  • Norwood
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • Norwood is located in Charlevoix County
  • Pleasant View
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Pleasant View is located in Emmet County
  • Bliss
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bliss have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss
    • Bliss is located in Emmet County

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

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

The official website for Charlevoix County: www.charlevoixcounty.org/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Martins Bluff) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Martins Bluff. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.6364, Longitude: -85.4881       In this case, the coordinates for Martins Bluff have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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.
<7>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 Martins Bluff, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024