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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 Roscommon (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 Roscommon. 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.

Roscommon is located in Roscommon County and is the County Seat.

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 Roscommon County: Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Ogemaw & Oscoda.

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

  • Roscommon County     (The home county of Roscommon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Higgins Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Higgins Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins Lake
      • Higgins Lake is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Higgins Lake <2>
    • Hillcrest
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
      • Hillcrest is located in Roscommon County
    • Tent City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tent City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tent City
      • Tent City is located in Roscommon County
    • Saint Helen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Prudenville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prudenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudenville
      • Prudenville is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prudenville <2>
    • Houghton Lake Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake Heights
      • Houghton Lake Heights is located in Roscommon County
    • Houghton Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake
      • Houghton Lake is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houghton Lake <2>
    • Nellsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellsville
      • Nellsville is located in Roscommon County
  • Clare County
    • Meredith
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
      • Meredith is located in Clare County
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Deerheart Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerheart Valley
      • Deerheart Valley is located in Crawford County
    • Pere Cheney ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pere Cheney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pere Cheney
      • Pere Cheney is located in Crawford County
      • Pere Cheney has also been known as:
      • Center Plains
      • Cheney
    • Skyline Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skyline Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyline Village
      • Skyline Village is located in Crawford County
    • Grayling
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • McIntyre Landing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre Landing
      • McIntyre Landing is located in Crawford County
    • Bucks
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks
      • Bucks is located in Crawford County
    • Frederic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Deward ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deward have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deward
      • Deward is located in Crawford County
  • Gladwin County
    • Sugar Rapids
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Rapids
      • Sugar Rapids is located in Gladwin County
  • Kalkaska County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Angling
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Angling have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angling
      • Angling is located in Kalkaska County
    • Sharon ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Kalkaska County
      • Sharon has also been known as:
      • Big Oley
      • Jam One
    • Sigma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sigma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigma
      • Sigma is located in Kalkaska County
    • Lodi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
      • Lodi is located in Kalkaska County
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Stratford ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stratford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Missaukee County
    • Merritt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Moorestown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorestown
      • Moorestown is located in Missaukee County
    • Star City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
      • Star City is located in Missaukee County
    • Stittsville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stittsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stittsville
      • Stittsville is located in Missaukee County
    • Cutcheon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutcheon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutcheon
      • Cutcheon is located in Missaukee County
    • Falmouth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
      • Falmouth is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <2>
  • Montmorency County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Garland Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland Village
      • Garland Village is located in Montmorency County
    • Lewiston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ogemaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Damon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damon
      • Damon is located in Ogemaw County
    • West Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Rose City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
      • Rose City is located in Ogemaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 629 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rose City <2>
    • Fayettes Corner ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayettes Corner
      • Fayettes Corner is located in Ogemaw County
    • Campbells Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbells Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbells Corners
      • Campbells Corners is located in Ogemaw County
    • Lupton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Oscoda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Luzerne
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Red Oak
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
      • Red Oak is located in Oscoda County
    • Mio
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Kneeland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kneeland
      • Kneeland is located in Oscoda County
  • Otsego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Roscommon, with the one closest to Roscommon listed first.
    • Lower Chub Landing ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Chub Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Chub Landing
      • Lower Chub Landing is located in Otsego County
    • Waters
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waters have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waters
      • Waters is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waters <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Roscommon ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Roscommon.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Roscommon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Roscommon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Roscommon.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Roscommon.

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 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 Roscommon:

Cemeteries Near Roscommon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Roscommon.

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

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

  • Higgins Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Higgins Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Higgins Twp. Cemetery
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
  • Gerrish Twp. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gerrish Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gerrish Twp. Cemetery
  • Pere Cheney Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Markey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Markey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Markey Cemetery
  • Richfield Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richfield Cemetery
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
  • Ball Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ball Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ball Cemetery
  • Rock Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Cemetery
  • Beaver Creek Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Creek Cemetery
  • Heidemann Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heidemann Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heidemann Cemetery
  • Lakeview Park Indian Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Park Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Park Indian Cemetery
  • Continue List   (66 more) ...
    • Fairview Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Stephan Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stephan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stephan Cemetery
    • Elmwood Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood 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 Roscommon had a population of 511 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Roscommon had a population of 1,044 people.

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

  • Pere Cheney ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pere Cheney have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pere Cheney
    • Pere Cheney is located in Crawford County
    • Pere Cheney has also been known as:
    • Center Plains
    • Cheney
  • Saint Helen
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Prudenville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prudenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudenville
    • Prudenville is located in Roscommon County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prudenville <2>
  • Grayling
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Houghton Lake
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake
    • Houghton Lake is located in Roscommon County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houghton Lake <2>
  • Damon
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damon
    • Damon is located in Ogemaw County
  • Luzerne
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Fletcher
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fletcher have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Fletcher is located in Kalkaska County
  • Ogemaw Springs
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogemaw Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogemaw Springs
    • Ogemaw Springs is located in Ogemaw County
  • Moorestown
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorestown
    • Moorestown is located in Missaukee County
  • Star City
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
    • Star City is located in Missaukee County
  • Frederic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Red Oak
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
      • Red Oak is located in Oscoda County
    • West Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Stittsville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stittsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stittsville
      • Stittsville is located in Missaukee County

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

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

The official website for Roscommon County: www.roscommoncounty.net/

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Roscommon) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Roscommon. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4911, Longitude: -84.5915       In this case, the coordinates for Roscommon have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Roscommon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024