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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 Montague (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 Montague. 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.

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

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

  • Muskegon County     (The home county of Montague)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montague, with the one closest to Montague listed first.
    • Whitehall
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Sylvan Beach
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Beach
      • Sylvan Beach is located in Muskegon County
    • Wabaningo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wabaningo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabaningo
      • Wabaningo is located in Muskegon County
    • Lakewood Club
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood Club have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Club
      • Lakewood Club is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,292 people
    • Dalton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
      • Dalton is located in Muskegon County
    • Twin Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lake
      • Twin Lake is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Twin Lake <1>
    • North Muskegon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Muskegon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Holton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
      • Holton is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holton <1>
    • Roosevelt Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Muskegon Heights
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Brunswick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brunswick have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
      • Brunswick is located in Muskegon County
    • Wolf Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
      • Wolf Lake is located in Muskegon County
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montague, with the one closest to Montague listed first.
    • Reeman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeman
      • Reeman is located in Newaygo County
    • Sitka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sitka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
      • Sitka is located in Newaygo County
    • Brookside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
      • Brookside is located in Newaygo County
    • Fremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fremont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Fremont is located in Newaygo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,102 people
      • Former name for Fremont:
      • Fremont Center
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Bridgeton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
      • Bridgeton is located in Newaygo County
    • Huber
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huber
      • Huber is located in Newaygo County
    • Bishop
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
      • Bishop is located in Newaygo County
    • Aetna
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
      • Aetna is located in Newaygo County
    • Wooster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wooster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooster
      • Wooster is located in Newaygo County
    • Grant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Newaygo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newaygo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaygo
      • Newaygo is located in Newaygo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,099 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newaygo <1>
  • Oceana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montague, with the one closest to Montague listed first.
    • Rothbury
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothbury have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothbury
      • Rothbury is located in Oceana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rothbury <1>
    • Camp Claybanks ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Camp Claybanks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Claybanks
      • Camp Claybanks is located in Oceana County
    • New Era
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
      • New Era is located in Oceana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 440 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Era <1>
    • Shelby
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Ferry
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry
      • Ferry is located in Oceana County
    • Mears
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mears
      • Mears is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mears <1>
    • Hart
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hart
      • Hart is located in Oceana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,089 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hart <1>
    • Cobmoosa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cobmoosa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobmoosa
      • Cobmoosa is located in Oceana County
      • Cobmoosa has also been known as:
      • Cob Moo Sa
    • Hesperia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hesperia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesperia
      • Hesperia is located in Oceana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 936 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hesperia <1>
    • Elbridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
      • Elbridge is located in Oceana County
    • Walkerville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • French Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Town
      • French Town is located in Oceana County
    • Pentwater
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Montague, with the one closest to Montague listed first.
    • Ferrysburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferrysburg
      • Ferrysburg is located in Ottawa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,022 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ferrysburg <1>
    • Spring Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
      • Spring Lake is located in Ottawa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Lake <1>
    • Grand Haven
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Nunica
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nunica have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunica
      • Nunica is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nunica <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Montague ...

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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Montague.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Montague. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Montague and those printed in the larger area surrounding Montague.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4> of Montague.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Montague:

Cemeteries Near Montague ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Montague.

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

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

  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Sammis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sammis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sammis Cemetery
  • Oakhurst Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakhurst Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakhurst Cemetery
  • Mouth Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mouth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mouth Cemetery
  • Old Sprague Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Sprague Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Sprague Cemetery
  • Hubbard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hubbard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hubbard Cemetery
  • Duck Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duck Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duck Lake Cemetery
  • Wave Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wave Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wave Cemetery
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
  • Fruitland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fruitland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fruitland Cemetery
  • Continue List   (119 more) ...
    • Assumption Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Assumption Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Assumption Cemetery
    • Flower Creek Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flower Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flower Creek Cemetery
    • Peace Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peace 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Montague had a population of 1,623 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Montague had a population of 2,365 people.

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

  • Whitehall
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Rothbury
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothbury have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothbury
    • Rothbury is located in Oceana County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rothbury <1>
  • Dalton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
    • Dalton is located in Muskegon County
  • Twin Lake
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lake
    • Twin Lake is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Twin Lake <1>
  • New Era
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
    • New Era is located in Oceana County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 440 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Era <1>
  • North Muskegon
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Shelby
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Muskegon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ferry
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry
    • Ferry is located in Oceana County
  • Holton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
    • Holton is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holton <1>
  • Muskegon Heights
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Cloverville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverville
    • Cloverville is located in Muskegon County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Mears
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mears
      • Mears is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mears <1>
    • Hart
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hart
      • Hart is located in Oceana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,089 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hart <1>
    • Brookside
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
      • Brookside is located in Newaygo County

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

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

The official website for Muskegon County: www.co.muskegon.mi.us/

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

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 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>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.
<4>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- Montague) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Montague. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4122, Longitude: -86.3628       In this case, the coordinates for Montague have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Montague, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024