RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Alpena County >> Rockport >> 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 Rockport (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 Rockport. 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 Rockport ...

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.

Another variation: Rock Port.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Rockport is primarily located in Alpena County. A portion of Rockport extends into Presque Isle 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 Alpena County: Alcona, Montmorency, Oscoda & Presque Isle.

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

  • Alpena County     (The home county of Rockport)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockport, with the one closest to Rockport listed first.
    • Cathro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cathro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cathro
      • Cathro is located in Alpena County
    • Alpena Junction
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpena Junction. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpena Junction
      • Alpena Junction is located in Alpena County
    • Alpena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • McHarg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHarg
      • McHarg is located in Alpena County
    • Herron
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herron
      • Herron is located in Alpena County
    • Long Rapids
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
      • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
    • Lachine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lachine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lachine
      • Lachine is located in Alpena County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lachine <2>
    • Flanders
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
      • Flanders is located in Alpena County
    • Ossineke
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Hubbard Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Alcona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockport, with the one closest to Rockport listed first.
    • Spruce
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Black River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Lost Lake Woods
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Lake Woods
      • Lost Lake Woods is located in Alcona County
    • Alcona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
      • Alcona is located in Alcona County
  • Montmorency County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockport, with the one closest to Rockport listed first.
    • Royston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royston
      • Royston is located in Montmorency County
    • Hillman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Presque Isle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockport, with the one closest to Rockport listed first.
    • Bell ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Presque Isle County
    • Leroy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
      • Leroy is located in Presque Isle County
    • Presque Isle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Polaski
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polaski
      • Polaski is located in Presque Isle County
    • Posen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Posen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posen
      • Posen is located in Presque Isle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Posen <2>
    • Liske
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liske
      • Liske is located in Presque Isle County
    • Hagensville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagensville
      • Hagensville is located in Presque Isle County
    • Metz
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Metz. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metz
      • Metz is located in Presque Isle County
    • Calcite
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calcite have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcite
      • Calcite is located in Presque Isle County
    • Rogers City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers City
      • Rogers City is located in Presque Isle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,665 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers City <2>
    • Hawks
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks
      • Hawks is located in Presque Isle County
    • Moltke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moltke
      • Moltke is located in Presque Isle County

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

Cemeteries Near Rockport ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockport.

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

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

  • Bell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bell Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Bell Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2512006 <4>
  • Cathro Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cathro Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cathro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Presque Isle Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Presque Isle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Presque Isle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Alpena.
    • The Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Alpena Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #474 <4>
  • Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Cross Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Alpena.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #742 <4>
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grace Lutheran Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grace Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grace Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Casimir's Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Casimir's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Casimir's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leer Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leer Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leer Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (31 more) ...
    • Long Rapids Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Rapids Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Rapids Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Herron St. Rose's Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Herron St. Rose's Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Herron St. Rose's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Sanborn Twp. Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanborn Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanborn Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

While we didn't find Rockport in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rockport.

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

  • Bell ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • Bell is located in Presque Isle County
  • Presque Isle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Alpena
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Bolton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bolton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
    • Bolton is located in Alpena County
  • Posen
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Posen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posen
    • Posen is located in Presque Isle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Posen <2>
  • Long Rapids
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
    • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
  • Flanders
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
    • Flanders is located in Alpena County
  • Ossineke
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Hagensville
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagensville
    • Hagensville is located in Presque Isle County
  • Hubbard Lake
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Rogers City
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers City
    • Rogers City is located in Presque Isle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,665 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers City <2>
  • Hillman
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Black River
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Rockport ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockport.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rockport, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rockport.

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 Rockport:

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

The official website for Alpena County: www.alpenacounty.org/

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Rockport, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rockport) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rockport. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.2039, Longitude: -83.3855       In this case, the coordinates for Rockport have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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