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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 Pentwater (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 Pentwater. 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.

Pentwater is located in Oceana 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 Oceana County: Lake, Mason, Muskegon & Newaygo.

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

  • Oceana County     (The home county of Pentwater)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pentwater, with the one closest to Pentwater listed first.
    • French Town
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Town
      • French Town is located in Oceana County
    • Mears
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mears have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Hart
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Shelby
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Elbridge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
      • Elbridge is located in Oceana County
    • Cobmoosa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • New Era
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Walkerville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Camp Claybanks ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Ferry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry
      • Ferry is located in Oceana County
    • Rothbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Hesperia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hesperia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pentwater, with the one closest to Pentwater listed first.
    • Sauble
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sauble have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sauble
      • Sauble is located in Lake County
    • Marlborough
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlborough have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlborough
      • Marlborough is located in Lake County
    • Baldwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Manistee County
    • Filer City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filer City
      • Filer City is located in Manistee County
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pentwater, with the one closest to Pentwater listed first.
    • Meisenheimer Corners
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meisenheimer Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meisenheimer Corners
      • Meisenheimer Corners is located in Mason County
    • Wiley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
      • Wiley is located in Mason County
      • Wiley has also been known as:
      • Wileys
    • White Pine Village ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Pine Village
      • White Pine Village is located in Mason County
    • Buttersville ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buttersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttersville
      • Buttersville is located in Mason County
    • Ludington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Amber
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amber
      • Amber is located in Mason County
      • Amber has also been known as:
      • Slaughtburg
    • Scottville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottville
      • Scottville is located in Mason County
      • 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 <2>
    • Custer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
      • Custer is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
      • Former names for Custer:
      • Black Creek
      • Ferryville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Custer <2>
    • Piney Ridge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Ridge
      • Piney Ridge is located in Mason County
    • Sugar Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
      • Sugar Grove is located in Mason County
      • Sugar Grove has also been known as:
      • Clark's Corners
    • Elm Flats ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elm Flats. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Flats
      • Elm Flats is located in Mason County
    • Walhalla
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Carr
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carr
      • Carr is located in Mason County
      • Carr has also been known as:
      • Carr Settlement
      • McCumber Settlement
  • Muskegon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pentwater, with the one closest to Pentwater listed first.
    • Montague
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montague have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
      • Montague is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,365 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montague <2>
    • Whitehall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Sylvan Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Beach
      • Sylvan Beach is located in Muskegon County
    • Wabaningo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wabaningo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabaningo
      • Wabaningo is located in Muskegon County
    • Lakewood Club
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood Club have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Brunswick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brunswick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brunswick
      • Brunswick is located in Muskegon County
    • Holton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pentwater, with the one closest to Pentwater listed first.
    • Huber
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huber
      • Huber is located in Newaygo County
    • Bitely
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Woodland Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Park
      • Woodland Park is located in Newaygo County
    • Aetna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
      • Aetna is located in Newaygo County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Pentwater ...

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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pentwater.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Pentwater. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Pentwater and those printed in the larger area surrounding Pentwater.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4> of Pentwater.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Pentwater:

Cemeteries Near Pentwater ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pentwater.

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

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

  • Pentwater Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pentwater Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pentwater Twp. Cemetery
  • Smith Corners Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Corners Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Corners Cemetery
  • North Weare Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Weare Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Weare Cemetery
  • Round Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Round Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Round Lake Cemetery
  • Lever Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lever Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lever Cemetery
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Mears Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mears Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mears Cemetery
  • Hart Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • North Hart Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Hart Cemetery
  • St. Peters Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peters Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The St. Peters Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Peter's Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peters Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2492305 <5>
  • Summit Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • South Hart Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Hart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Hart Cemetery
  • Continue List   (104 more) ...
    • Randall Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Randall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Randall Cemetery
    • Center Riverton Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Riverton Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverton 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Pentwater had a population of 1,510 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Pentwater had a population of 858 people.

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

  • Mears
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mears have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Hart
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Crystal Valley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystal Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Valley
    • Crystal Valley is located in Oceana County
  • Wiley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
    • Wiley is located in Mason County
    • Wiley has also been known as:
    • Wileys
  • Riverton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverton
    • Riverton is located in Mason County
  • Fern
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fern have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern
    • Fern is located in Mason County
    • Fern has also been known as:
    • Adamsville
  • Buttersville ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buttersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttersville
    • Buttersville is located in Mason County
  • Shelby
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Elbridge
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elbridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
    • Elbridge is located in Oceana County
  • Ludington
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Amber
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amber
    • Amber is located in Mason County
    • Amber has also been known as:
    • Slaughtburg
  • Cobmoosa
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Scottville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottville
      • Scottville is located in Mason County
      • 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 <2>
    • New Era
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Era have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Custer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
      • Custer is located in Mason County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 284 people
      • Former names for Custer:
      • Black Creek
      • Ferryville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Custer <2>

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

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

The official website for Oceana County: www.oceana.mi.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Pentwater) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pentwater. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7809, Longitude: -86.4306    
<5>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.
<6>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 Pentwater, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024