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 Onekama (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 Onekama. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Onekama is located in Manistee 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 Manistee County: Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Mason & Wexford.
Below are the counties that are near Onekama. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Onekama:
- Manistee County (The home county of Onekama)
- The following are listed by their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Onekama Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Onekama Junction is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onekama Junction
- Norwalk
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Norwalk is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Douglas
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Douglas is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Bear Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Chief Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Chief Lake is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chief Lake
- Arcadia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Parkdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Parkdale is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkdale
- Kaleva
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Malcolm
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Malcolm is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malcolm
- Brethren
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Eastlake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Eastlake is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastlake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
- Humphrey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Humphrey is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
- Benzie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Thompsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elberta
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Benzonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Beulah
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Frankfort
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Nessen City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Nessen City is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nessen City
- Griner Station
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Griner Station is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griner Station
- Griner Station has also been known as:
- Print
- Wallin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wallin is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallin
- Honor
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Platte River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Platte River is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte River
- Bendon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bendon is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bendon
- Aral ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Aral is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aral
- Aral has also been known as:
- Otter Creek
- Grand Traverse County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Karlin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Karlin is located in Grand Traverse County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karlin
- Pavlovic Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pavlovic Corner is located in Grand Traverse County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavlovic Corner
- Interlochen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Irons
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sauble
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sauble is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauble
- Peacock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Peacock is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peacock
- Leelanau County
- Jacktown ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jacktown is located in Leelanau County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacktown
- Jacktown has also been known as:
- Osborn
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Free Soil
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Fountain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Millerton ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Millerton is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Elm Flats ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Elm Flats is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Flats
- Batcheller ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Batcheller is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batcheller
- Batcheller has also been known as:
- Turtle Lake
- Sugar Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sugar Grove is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Sugar Grove has also been known as:
- Clark's Corners
- Tallman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Tallman is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallman
- Tallman has also been known as:
- Weaver
- Piney Ridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Piney Ridge is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Ridge
- Amber
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Amber is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amber
- Amber has also been known as:
- Slaughtburg
- Custer
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Custer is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
- Former names for Custer:
- Black Creek
- Ferryville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Custer <1>
- Scottville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Scottville is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,209 people
- Scottville has also been known as:
- Mason Center
- Sweetland
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottville <1>
- Walhalla
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wexford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Bagnall
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Bagnall is located in Wexford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagnall
- Yuma
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Yuma is located in Wexford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuma
- Glengary
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Glengary is located in Wexford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glengary
- Mesick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Harrietta
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Sherman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Sherman is located in Wexford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Hoxeyville ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hoxeyville is located in Wexford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoxeyville
- Hoxeyville has also been known as:
- Clay Hill
- Buckley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Boon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Boon is located in Wexford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Onekama, see our County-by-County Page for Onekama.
Cemeteries Near Onekama ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Onekama.
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 Onekama - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Onekama covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Onekama Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Norwalk Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Old School House Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old School House Cemetery
- The Old School House Cemetery has also been known as:
- Brown Twp. Cemetery
- Brownstown Cemetery
- Browntown Cemetery
- Old Schoolhouse Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #187 <2>
- Bear Lake Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Onekama Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fairview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Miller Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Riverview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasantview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Conway Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (82 more) ...
- Pleasonton Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pilgrim Home Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
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 Onekama had a population of 578 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Onekama had a population of 407 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Onekama, with the one closest to Onekama listed first.
- Onekama Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Onekama Junction is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onekama Junction
- Pierport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pierport is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierport
- Bear Lake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Chief Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Chief Lake is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chief Lake
- Arcadia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Pleasanton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasanton is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasanton
- Eastlake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Eastlake is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastlake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 509 people
- Manistee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Oak Hill has also been known as:
- Oakhill
- Filer City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Filer City is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filer City
- Stronach
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Stronach is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stronach
- Marilla
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Marilla is located in Manistee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marilla
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Copemish
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Weldon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Weldon is located in Benzie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
- Thompsonville
(16 miles [25.7 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 Onekama. See our List of 1890's Communities around Onekama.
Newspapers Published in Onekama ...
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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Onekama.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Onekama, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Onekama.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Onekama:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Manistee County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Benzie County
- Grand Traverse County
- Lake County
- Leelanau County
- Mason County
- Wexford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
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 Onekama, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Onekama) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |