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 Thornton (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 Thornton. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Thornton is located in Saint Clair 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 Saint Clair County: Lapeer, Macomb & Sanilac.
Below are the counties that are near Thornton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thornton:
- Saint Clair County (The home county of Thornton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Goodells
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Goodells is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodells
- Smiths Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sparlingville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Sparlingville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparlingville
- Wadhams
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Wadhams is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadhams
- Ruby
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ruby is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
- Lambs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lambs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambs
- Lambs has also been known as:
- Lamb
- Atkins
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Atkins is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
- Columbus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Gardendale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gardendale is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardendale
- North Street
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Avoca
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Emmett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Marysville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lapeer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Almont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Imlay City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Brown City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dryden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Burnside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Burnside is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Attica
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lum
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lum is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lum
- Kings Mill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kings Mill is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Mill
- Macomb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Memphis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Memphis is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,170 people
- Former name for Memphis:
- Well's Settlement
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Memphis <1>
- Beebe's Corners ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Beebe's Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe's Corners
- Doyle ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Doyle is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
- Bates Corner ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bates Corner is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates Corner
- Coopertown ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coopertown is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
- Muttonville ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Muttonville is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttonville
- Richmond
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Armada
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Armada is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armada
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,698 people
- Former names for Armada:
- Burk's Corners
- Honeyoe
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Armada <1>
- Berry's Corners ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Berry's Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berry's Corners
- New Haven
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- New Haven is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,061 people
- Former names for New Haven:
- New Baltimore Station
- New Haven Station
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Haven <1>
- Omo ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Omo is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omo
- New Baltimore
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- New Baltimore is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Baltimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,281 people
- Former names for New Baltimore:
- Ashley
- Ashleyville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Baltimore <1>
- Armada Corners ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Armada Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armada Corners
- Armada Corners has also been known as:
- Selleck's Corners
- Oakland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Leonard
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Campbells Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Campbells Corner is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbells Corner
- Lakeville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lakeville is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
- Kline ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kline is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Kline has also been known as:
- Kline Settlement
- Sanilac County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Amadore ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Amadore is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amadore
- Roseburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roseburg is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseburg
- Lexington Heights
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Lexington Heights is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington Heights
- Speaker
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Speaker is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speaker
- Melvin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Melvin is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Croswell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Lexington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Valley Center
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Center is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Center
- Peck
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Peck is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peck
- Population from the 2020 Census: 588 people
- Applegate
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cash
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Cash is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
- Watertown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Watertown is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watertown
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thornton, see our County-by-County Page for Thornton.
Cemeteries Near Thornton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thornton.
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 Thornton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thornton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Caswell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Goodells Poor Farm Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Moore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore Cemetery
- The Moore Cemetery has also been known as:
- Kimball Cemetery
- Kimball Twp. Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2331833 <2>
- Kinney Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Williams Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bartlett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ruby Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Westbrook Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lambs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mallory Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the east of Emmett.
- The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Kenockee Cemetery
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #830 <2>
- Continue List (221 more) ...
- Isabella Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Smith Blackstock Road Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Philip Neri Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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 Thornton had a population of 31 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
- Goodells
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Goodells is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodells
- Abbotsford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Abbotsford is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotsford
- Smiths Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Kimball
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wadhams
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Wadhams is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wadhams
- Lambs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lambs is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambs
- Lambs has also been known as:
- Lamb
- Ruby
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ruby is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
- Columbus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Atkins
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Atkins is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkins
- Rattle Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Rattle Run is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rattle Run
- Avoca
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- North Street
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Emmett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Marysville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Memphis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Memphis is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Memphis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,170 people
- Former name for Memphis:
- Well's Settlement
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Memphis <1>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thornton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thornton.
Newspapers Published in Thornton ...
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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thornton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thornton, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thornton.
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 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 Thornton:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Saint Clair County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Lapeer County
- Macomb County
- Oakland County
- Sanilac County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | 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- Thornton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Thornton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |