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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 Williamsburg (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 Williamsburg. 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 Williamsburg ...

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.

Williamsburg has also been known as: Williamburg.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Williamsburg. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Williamsburg.

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 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.

Williamsburg is located in Grand Traverse 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 Grand Traverse County: Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee & Wexford.

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

  • Grand Traverse County     (The home county of Williamsburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Mabel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Mabel is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
    • Tunk ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Tunk is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunk
    • Angel
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Angel is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angel
      • Angel has also been known as:
      • Angel Station
      • Angell Station
    • Acme
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Devils Elbow
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Devils Elbow is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Elbow
    • Mapleton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mapleton is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
    • Traverse City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Mayfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mayfield is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Old Mission
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Kingsley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kingsley is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,618 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingsley <1>
    • Summit City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Summit City is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit City
    • Grawn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Walton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Walton is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton
      • Walton has also been known as:
      • Walton Junction
  • Antrim County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Elk Rapids
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Alden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Kewadin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Clam Lake ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Clam Lake is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clam Lake
    • Bellaire
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mancelona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Central Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Wetzel ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wetzel is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wetzel
      • Wetzel has also been known as:
      • Wetzell
    • Eastport
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Finkton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Finkton is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finkton
    • Alba
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellsworth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Benzie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Lake Ann
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bendon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Bendon is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bendon
    • Griner Station
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Griner Station is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griner Station
      • Griner Station has also been known as:
      • Print
    • Wallin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Wallin is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallin
    • Platte River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Platte River is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte River
    • Nessen City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Nessen City is located in Benzie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nessen City
  • Charlevoix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • East Jordan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Goo ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Goo is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goo
    • Norwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Norwood is located in Charlevoix County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Deward ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Deward is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deward
    • McIntyre Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • McIntyre Landing is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntyre Landing
  • Kalkaska County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Barker Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Barker Creek is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Creek
    • Torch River
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Torch River is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch River
    • Rapid City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • South Boardman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Kalkaska
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Fife Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Lodi
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lodi is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
    • Westwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Deibert
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Deibert is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deibert
    • Spencer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Spencer is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
    • Sigma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Sigma is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigma
    • Angling
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Angling is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angling
    • Sharon ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sharon is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon has also been known as:
      • Big Oley
      • Jam One
  • Leelanau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Greilickville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Greilickville is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greilickville
    • Hatchs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Hatchs is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatchs
    • Bingham
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bingham is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham
    • Solon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Solon is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solon
    • Suttons Bay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Manseau ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Manseau is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manseau
    • Peshawbestown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Peshawbestown is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peshawbestown
    • Cedar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Isadore ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Isadore is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
    • Bodus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bodus is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodus
    • Lake Leelanau
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Schomberg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Schomberg is located in Leelanau County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schomberg
    • Omena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Manistee County
    • Harlan ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Harlan is located in Manistee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlan
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Stittsville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Stittsville is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stittsville
    • Cutcheon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cutcheon is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutcheon
    • Moorestown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Moorestown is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorestown
    • Jennings
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jennings is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennings
  • Wexford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Williamsburg, with the one closest to Williamsburg listed first.
    • Baxter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Baxter is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
    • Buckley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Manton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Glengary
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Glengary is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glengary
    • Sherman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sherman is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
    • Meauwataka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Meauwataka is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meauwataka
    • Bagnall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bagnall is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagnall
    • Mesick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bond's Mills ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bond's Mills is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bond's Mills

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

Cemeteries Near Williamsburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamsburg.

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 Williamsburg - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Williamsburg Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Circle Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Yuba Acme Twp. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Acme Twp. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Acme Twp. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • South Milton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Clearwater Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Oakwood Catholic Diocesan Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (147 more) ...
    • Northrup Grave
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • South Boardman Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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 Williamsburg had a population of 127 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bates
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Bates is located in Grand Traverse County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates
  • Barker Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Barker Creek is located in Kalkaska County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Creek
  • Yuba
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Yuba is located in Grand Traverse County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yuba
  • Acme
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Elk Rapids
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Mapleton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mapleton is located in Grand Traverse County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
  • South Boardman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Crofton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Crofton is located in Kalkaska County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crofton
  • Kewadin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Traverse City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Mayfield
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayfield is located in Grand Traverse County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
  • Kalkaska
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Leetsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Leetsville is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leetsville
    • Old Mission
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Clam Lake ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Clam Lake is located in Antrim County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clam Lake

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

Newspapers Published in Williamsburg ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamsburg.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williamsburg, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williamsburg.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Williamsburg:

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 Williamsburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 from Point A (ie- Williamsburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.