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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 Torch Lake (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 Torch Lake. 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 Torch Lake ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Torch Lake: Torch Lk.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Torch Lake is located in Antrim 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 Antrim County: Charlevoix, Crawford, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska & Otsego.

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

  • Antrim County     (The home county of Torch Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Eastport
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Central Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Ellsworth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Kewadin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bellaire
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Clam Lake ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Clam Lake is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clam Lake
    • Finkton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Finkton is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finkton
    • Elk Rapids
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Alden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Mancelona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Wetzel ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Wetzel is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wetzel
      • Wetzel has also been known as:
      • Wetzell
    • Alba
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Charlevoix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Norwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Norwood is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • East Jordan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Goo ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Goo is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goo
    • Ironton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ironton is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
    • Charlevoix
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Boyne City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Boyne City is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyne City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,717 people
      • Former names for Boyne City:
      • Bay Springs
      • Boyne
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyne City <1>
    • Horton Bay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Horton Bay is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton Bay
    • Boyne Falls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Zenith Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Zenith Heights is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith Heights
    • Bay Shore
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay Shore is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Shore
    • Walloon Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Crawford County
    • Deward ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Deward is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deward
  • Emmet County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Bay Harbor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Petoskey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Beach is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Beach
    • Bay View
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Harbor Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Kegomic ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Kegomic is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegomic
  • Grand Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Old Mission
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Mapleton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mapleton is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
    • Angel
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Angel is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
      • Angel has also been known as:
      • Angel Station
      • Angell Station
    • Mabel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Mabel is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
    • Tunk ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Tunk is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunk
    • Williamsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Acme
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Traverse City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Devils Elbow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Devils Elbow is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Elbow
  • Kalkaska County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Torch River
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Torch River is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch River
    • Rapid City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Westwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Barker Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Barker Creek is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Creek
    • Kalkaska
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • South Boardman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Leelanau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Omena
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Peshawbestown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Peshawbestown is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peshawbestown
    • Manseau ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Manseau is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manseau
    • Northport
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Suttons Bay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Onominee ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Onominee is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onominee
      • Onominee has also been known as:
      • Onominese
      • Onomonese
      • Onuminee
      • Onumunese
    • Lake Leelanau
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Leland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Bingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bingham is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham
    • Schomberg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Schomberg is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schomberg
    • Bodus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Bodus is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodus
    • Hatchs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Hatchs is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchs
    • Greilickville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Greilickville is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greilickville
  • Otsego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Torch Lake, with the one closest to Torch Lake listed first.
    • Elmira
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Hallock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Hallock is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallock
    • Berryville ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Berryville is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville

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

Cemeteries Near Torch Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Torch Lake.

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 Torch Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Torch Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bay View Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake View Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Lakeview Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Eastport.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #875 <2>
  • Russell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Southern Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Atwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Antrim Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Ellsworth Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ellsworth Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Ellsworth.
    • The Ellsworth Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Boss Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #444 <2>
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Flewelling Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Densmore Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (116 more) ...

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Torch Lake had a population of 85 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Eastport
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Creswell
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Creswell is located in Antrim County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
  • Central Lake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Snowflake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Snowflake is located in Antrim County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowflake
  • Atwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Atwood is located in Antrim County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
  • Ellsworth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Old Mission
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Norwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Norwood is located in Charlevoix County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
  • Kewadin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Clam Lake ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Clam Lake is located in Antrim County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clam Lake
  • Bellaire
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Finkton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Finkton is located in Antrim County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finkton
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Omena
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Elk Rapids
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • East Jordan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Torch Lake ...

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 101 newspapers that have been published in the area around Torch Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Torch Lake, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Torch Lake.

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 Torch Lake:

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>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 Torch Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Torch Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.