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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 Martinsville (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 Martinsville. 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 doctors and 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.

Martinsville is located in Wayne 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 Wayne County: Macomb, Monroe, Oakland & Washtenaw.

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Martinsville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
    • New Boston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Willow
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow
    • Belleville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Romulus
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheldon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Sheldon is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
    • Wayne
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Woodhaven
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Canton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Eloise
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Eloise is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eloise
    • Taylor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Inkster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Rockwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lenawee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
    • Britton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Macon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Macon is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
    • Deerfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgeway
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Ridgeway is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
    • Clinton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Clinton is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,287 people
    • Tecumseh
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Holloway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Holloway is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
    • Wellsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wellsville is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsville
    • Blissfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Riga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Riga is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riga
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
    • Whitmore Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Oak
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Oak is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Oak
    • Hamburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lakeland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pettysville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pettysville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettysville
  • Macomb County
    • Dalton Corners ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dalton Corners is located in Macomb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Corners
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
    • Carleton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Oakville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
    • Scofield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Scofield is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scofield
    • Grafton ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Grafton is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Flat Rock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Maybee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Steiner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Steiner is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steiner
    • South Rockwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Newport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Milan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Grape
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Grape is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grape
    • Azalia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Azalia is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalia
  • Oakland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
    • Northville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Clarenceville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Clarenceville is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarenceville
    • Farmington Acres
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Farmington Acres is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington Acres
    • Farmington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Novi
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Novi is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60,852 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Novi <1>
    • Farmington Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Quakertown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Quakertown is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quakertown
    • South Lyon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Wood Creek Farms
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Wood Creek Farms is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Creek Farms
    • Oak Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Southfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lathrup Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Washtenaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Martinsville, with the one closest to Martinsville listed first.
    • Willis
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Rawsonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Rawsonville is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawsonville
    • Whittaker
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Whittaker is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittaker
    • Stony Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Stony Creek is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
    • Ypsilanti
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pittsfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Pittsfield is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
      • Pittsfield has also been known as:
      • Pittsfield Village
    • Dixboro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Dixboro is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixboro
    • Saline
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Saline is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saline
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saline <1>
    • Ann Arbor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Emery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Emery is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emery
    • Salem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Salem is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Barton Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Barton Hills is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
  • Lucas County (OH)
    • Willow Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Willow Beach is located in Lucas County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Beach

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

Cemeteries Near Martinsville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Martinsville.

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

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

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

  • Martinsville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Stephen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Mallett Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Otisville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Metropolitan Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Felt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Nowland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Waltz Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Woodmere Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Clark Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (361 more) ...
    • Huron Twp. Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron Twp. Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Huron Twp. Cemetery is located outside and to the southeast of New Boston.
      • The Huron Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Huron Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #778 <2>
    • Krause Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Denton Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Martinsville had a population of 75 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • West Sumpter
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • West Sumpter is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sumpter
  • New Boston
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Belleville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Willis
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Carleton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Rawsonville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rawsonville is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawsonville
  • Oakville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakville is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
  • Romulus
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Whittaker
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Whittaker is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittaker
  • Scofield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Scofield is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scofield
  • Grafton ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Grafton is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
  • Denton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Denton is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denton
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Flat Rock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Stony Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Stony Creek is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
    • Maybee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Martinsville ...

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 145 newspapers that have been published in the area around Martinsville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Martinsville, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Martinsville.

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 Martinsville:

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>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 Martinsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Martinsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.