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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 Brandon (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 Brandon. 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 hospitals 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.

Brandon is located in Madison County.

To see how the shape of Montana's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Madison County: Fremont (ID), Beaverhead, Gallatin, Jefferson & Silver Bow.

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

  • Madison County     (The home county of Brandon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Sheridan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheridan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
      • Sheridan is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sheridan <2>
    • Laurin ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laurin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurin
      • Laurin is located in Madison County
    • Twin Bridges
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Bridges have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Bridges
      • Twin Bridges is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Twin Bridges <2>
    • Alder
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alder
      • Alder is located in Madison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alder <2>
    • Nevada City ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Mammoth
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mammoth
      • Mammoth is located in Madison County
    • Central City ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Madison County
    • Virginia City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
      • Virginia City is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
      • Former names for Virginia City:
      • Varina
      • Verina
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virginia City <2>
    • Strawberry ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Strawberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
      • Strawberry is located in Madison County
    • Silver Star
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pony ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • McAllister
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Ennis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
      • Ennis is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,042 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennis <2>
  • Beaverhead County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Glen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Dillon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
      • Dillon is located in Beaverhead County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,333 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dillon <2>
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Piedmont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
      • Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
    • Whitehall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
      • Whitehall is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitehall <2>
    • Cardwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cardwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell
      • Cardwell is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cardwell <2>
    • Pipestone Hot Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipestone Hot Springs
      • Pipestone Hot Springs is located in Jefferson County
    • Pipestone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pipestone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipestone
      • Pipestone is located in Jefferson County
  • Silver Bow County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandon, with the one closest to Brandon listed first.
    • Melrose
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Highland City ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland City
      • Highland City is located in Silver Bow County
    • Moose Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moose Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moose Town
      • Moose Town is located in Silver Bow County

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

Cemeteries Near Brandon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brandon.

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

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

  • Sheridan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sheridan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sheridan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laurin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Masonic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Masonic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Twin Bridges Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nevada City Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nevada City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nevada City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Point of Rocks Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Point of Rocks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Point of Rocks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Boothill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boothill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boothill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Virginia City Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Virginia City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Virginia City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bird Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Silver Star Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Valley View Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley View Cemetery
    • The Valley View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pony Cemetery
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • McAllister Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McAllister Cemetery
      • The McAllister Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Meadow Creek Cemetery
    • Fish Creek Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fish Creek Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fish Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rochester Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rochester Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rochester Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

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

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

  • Sheridan
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheridan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Sheridan is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sheridan <2>
  • Laurin ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laurin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurin
    • Laurin is located in Madison County
  • Twin Bridges
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Bridges have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Bridges
    • Twin Bridges is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Twin Bridges <2>
  • Virginia City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
    • Virginia City is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
    • Former names for Virginia City:
    • Varina
    • Verina
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virginia City <2>
  • Silver Star
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pony ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Ennis
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
    • Ennis is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,042 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennis <2>
  • Norris
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Harrison
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
  • Red Bluff
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Bluff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bluff
    • Red Bluff is located in Madison County
  • Glen
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Whitehall
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
    • Whitehall is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,160 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitehall <2>
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Apex
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apex have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apex
      • Apex is located in Beaverhead County
    • Cameron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jefferson Island
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Island
      • Jefferson Island is located in Madison County

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

Newspapers Published in Brandon ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brandon.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brandon, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brandon.

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 websites either 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 Brandon:

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

The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.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>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 Brandon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Brandon) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Brandon. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.4683, Longitude: -112.1397       In this case, the coordinates for Brandon have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025