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










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Michigan

The Commemorative Quarter for Michigan





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 McFarland (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 McFarland. 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 McFarland ...

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.

McFarland has also been known as: McFarlands.

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 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.

McFarland is located in Marquette 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 Marquette County: Alger, Baraga, Delta, Dickinson, Iron & Menominee.

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

  • Marquette County     (The home county of McFarland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McFarland, with the one closest to McFarland listed first.
    • Helena
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Helena
      • From McFarland to Helena
    • Little Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake
      • Little Lake is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Lake <3>
    • Carlshend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carlshend. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlshend
      • Carlshend is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carlshend
      • From McFarland to Carlshend
    • Gwinn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Austin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Skandia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skandia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skandia
      • Skandia is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Skandia <3>
    • Watson ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • New Dalton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Dalton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Dalton
      • New Dalton is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Dalton
      • From McFarland to New Dalton
    • Arnold
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arnold <3>
    • Reade
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Reade. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reade
      • Reade is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Reade
      • From McFarland to Reade
    • Sands
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Northland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Alger County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McFarland, with the one closest to McFarland listed first.
    • Diffin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Diffin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diffin
      • Diffin is located in Alger County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Diffin
      • From McFarland to Diffin
    • Trenary
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trenary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenary
      • Trenary is located in Alger County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trenary <3>
    • Dorsey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dorsey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
      • Dorsey is located in Alger County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dorsey
      • From McFarland to Dorsey
    • Traunik
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rumely
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Eben Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eben Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eben Junction
      • Eben Junction is located in Alger County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eben Junction <3>
    • Chatham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Slapneck ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slapneck have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slapneck
      • Slapneck is located in Alger County
    • Deerton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Onota
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onota. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onota
      • Onota is located in Alger County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Onota
      • From McFarland to Onota
    • Au Train
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Munising Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Delta County
  • Dickinson County
  • Menominee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McFarland, with the one closest to McFarland listed first.
    • LaBranche
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Dryads ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dryads. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryads
      • Dryads is located in Menominee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dryads
      • From McFarland to Dryads
    • Perronville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near McFarland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McFarland.

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

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

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 in 1895, McFarland had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Lathrop
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lathrop. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathrop
    • Lathrop is located in Delta County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lathrop
    • From McFarland to Lathrop
  • Rock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Little Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake
    • Little Lake is located in Marquette County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Lake <3>
  • Swanzy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swanzy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanzy
    • Swanzy is located in Marquette County
  • Campbell
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Campbell is located in Delta County
  • Plains
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plains
    • Plains is located in Marquette County
  • Beaver
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beaver. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
    • Beaver is located in Delta County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Beaver
    • From McFarland to Beaver
  • Perkins
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Sands
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Brampton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Rapid River
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Gordon
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gordon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Gordon is located in Marquette County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Harvey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
      • Harvey is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvey <3>
    • Masonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Masonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masonville
      • Masonville is located in Delta County
    • Deerton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in McFarland ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around McFarland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McFarland, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McFarland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 McFarland:

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

The official website for Marquette County: www.co.marquette.mi.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>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 McFarland, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- McFarland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McFarland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.1801, Longitude: -87.2442    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025