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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 Watertown (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 Watertown. 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 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.

Watertown is located in Sanilac 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 Sanilac County: Huron, Lapeer, Saint Clair & Tuscola.

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

  • Sanilac County     (The home county of Watertown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watertown, with the one closest to Watertown listed first.
    • Cash
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cash. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
      • Cash is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cash
      • From Watertown to Cash
    • Sandusky
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Peck
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Juhl
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juhl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juhl
      • Juhl is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Juhl
      • From Watertown to Juhl
    • Berkshire ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berkshire. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire
      • Berkshire is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berkshire
      • From Watertown to Berkshire
    • Elmer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Applegate
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Carsonville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Speaker
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • McGregor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McGregor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
      • McGregor is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McGregor
      • From Watertown to McGregor
    • Melvin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Sanilac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
    • Roseburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roseburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseburg
      • Roseburg is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roseburg
      • From Watertown to Roseburg
    • Croswell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Huron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watertown, with the one closest to Watertown listed first.
    • Ruth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruth have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
      • Ruth is located in Huron County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruth <2>
    • Ubly
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • White Rock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Helena
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Huron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Helena
      • From Watertown to Helena
  • Lapeer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watertown, with the one closest to Watertown listed first.
    • Brown City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Burnside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
      • Burnside is located in Lapeer County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burnside
      • From Watertown to Burnside
    • Clifford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
      • Clifford is located in Lapeer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
    • North Branch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Silverwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverwood
      • Silverwood is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silverwood <2>
    • Kings Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lum
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Imlay City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Barnes Lake - Millers Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Attica
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attica have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
      • Attica is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Attica <2>
  • Macomb County
    • Doyle ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Doyle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
      • Doyle is located in Macomb County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Doyle
      • From Watertown to Doyle
  • Saint Clair County
  • Tuscola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watertown, with the one closest to Watertown listed first.
    • Kingston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Wilmot
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Deford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cass City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cass City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cass City
      • Cass City is located in Tuscola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cass City <2>
    • Mayville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Elmwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Fostoria
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fostoria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fostoria
      • Fostoria is located in Tuscola County
    • Gagetown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gagetown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gagetown
      • Gagetown is located in Tuscola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gagetown <2>
    • Caro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Watertown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watertown.

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

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

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>

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

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

  • Cash
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cash. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
    • Cash is located in Sanilac County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cash
    • From Watertown to Cash
  • Peck
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Juhl
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juhl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juhl
    • Juhl is located in Sanilac County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Juhl
    • From Watertown to Juhl
  • Berkshire ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berkshire. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire
    • Berkshire is located in Sanilac County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Berkshire
    • From Watertown to Berkshire
  • Elmer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Speaker
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Applegate
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Carsonville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Melvin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
    • Melvin is located in Sanilac County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
  • Valley Center
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Roseburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roseburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseburg
    • Roseburg is located in Sanilac County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Roseburg
    • From Watertown to Roseburg
  • Croswell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Watertown ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watertown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watertown, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watertown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Watertown:

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

The official website for Sanilac County: www.sanilaccounty.net/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Watertown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watertown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.3410, Longitude: -82.8256    
<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 Watertown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025