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 Rathbone (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 Rathbone. 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 southwest 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 south.
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 south 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.
Rathbone is located in Gratiot 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 Gratiot County: Clinton, Ionia, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw & Shiawassee.
Below are the counties that are near Rathbone. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rathbone:
- Gratiot County (The home county of Rathbone)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Edgewood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Sickles
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sickles is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
- Wheeler
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Breckenridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- North Wheeler
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
- North Star
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- North Star is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
- North Star has also been known as:
- Northstar
- Ithaca
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Saint Louis
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ashley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Alma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bannister
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pompeii
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Fisherville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fisherville is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
- Amelith
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Amelith is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelith
- Auburn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Frankenlust
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Frankenlust is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenlust
- Willard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Willard is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
- Duel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Duel is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
- Seidlers
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Seidlers is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
- Brooks ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brooks is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
- Salzburg ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Salzburg is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Eureka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Eureka is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Elsie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Duplain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Duplain is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplain
- Maple Rapids
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Rapids is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Shepardsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Shepardsville is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepardsville
- Ovid
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Saint Johns
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fowler
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Price
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Price is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
- Genesee County
- Montrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Ionia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Hubbardston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Matherton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Matherton is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherton
- Isabella County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Coe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coe is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coe
- Summerton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Summerton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
- Shepherd
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Alembic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Alembic is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
- Crawford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Strickland
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Strickland is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
- Mount Pleasant
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Winn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Winn is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Rosebush
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Midland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Ryan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Ryan is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
- Redstone
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Redstone is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Porter
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Oil City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Oil City is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Midland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Averill
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Averill is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
- Sanford
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- North Bradley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- North Bradley is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
- Alamando
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Alamando is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
- Hope
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Coleman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Montcalm County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Carson City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Vestaburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Vestaburg is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestaburg
- Butternut
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Butternut is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butternut
- Cedar Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
- Vickeryville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Vickeryville is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vickeryville
- McBride
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Saginaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Lakefield
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Lakefield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
- Merrill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nelson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Nelson is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Hemlock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Iva
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Iva is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
- Brant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fenmore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Fenmore is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenmore
- Orr
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Orr is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Garfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Garfield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Saint Charles
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Chapin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chapin is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
- Frost
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Frost is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
- Shiawassee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Henderson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Burton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Burton is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Smith Crossing
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Smith Crossing is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Crossing
- Five Points
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Five Points is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Owosso
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- New Lothrop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Corunna
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Middletown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Middletown is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Juddville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Juddville is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juddville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rathbone, see our County-by-County Page for Rathbone.
Cemeteries Near Rathbone ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rathbone.
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 Rathbone - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rathbone covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Lafayette Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hamilton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lakefield Twp. Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield Twp. Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Lakefield Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the south of Merrill.
- The Lakefield Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lakefield Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #879 <3>
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rose Lawn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wheeler Twp. Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Brady Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. Theresa Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Marion Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Beebe Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- North Star Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the North Star Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of North Star.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1037999 <3>
- St. John Lutheran Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (234 more) ...
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Ithaca Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Staton Farm 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Rathbone had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rathbone, with the one closest to Rathbone listed first.
- Edgewood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Galloway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Galloway is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
- Sickles
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sickles is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
- Breckenridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wheeler
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Beebe
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Beebe is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe
- Merrill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- North Star
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- North Star is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
- North Star has also been known as:
- Northstar
- Ithaca
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ashley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Nelson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Nelson is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Saint Louis
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Brant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Porter
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rathbone. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rathbone.
Newspapers Published in Rathbone ...
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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rathbone.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rathbone, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rathbone.
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 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 Rathbone:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Gratiot County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bay County
- Clinton County
- Genesee County
- Ionia County
- Isabella County
- Midland County
- Montcalm County
- Saginaw County
- Shiawassee 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Rathbone) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Rathbone, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |