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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 McNamara (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 McNamara. 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 doctors 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.

McNamara is located in Missoula 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 Missoula County: Clearwater (ID), Idaho (ID), Flathead, Granite, Lake, Mineral, Powell, Ravalli & Sanders.

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

  • Missoula County     (The home county of McNamara)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McNamara, with the one closest to McNamara listed first.
    • Clinton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Clinton is located in Missoula County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <2>
    • Bonner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Piltzville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piltzville
      • Piltzville is located in Missoula County
    • Milltown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Greenough
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • East Missoula
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Missoula
      • East Missoula is located in Missoula County
    • Missoula
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Missoula have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missoula
      • Missoula is located in Missoula County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76,848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Missoula <2>
    • Travois Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Travois Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Travois Village
      • Travois Village is located in Missoula County
    • Orchard Homes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Homes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Homes
      • Orchard Homes is located in Missoula County
    • Seeley Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • De Smet
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for De Smet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Smet
      • De Smet is located in Missoula County
    • Evaro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evaro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evaro
      • Evaro is located in Missoula County
    • Grass Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grass Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Valley
      • Grass Valley is located in Missoula County
  • Granite County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McNamara, with the one closest to McNamara listed first.
    • Stump Town ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stump Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stump Town
      • Stump Town is located in Granite County
    • Garnet ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garnet
      • Garnet is located in Granite County
    • Beartown ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beartown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
      • Beartown is located in Granite County
    • Bearmouth ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bearmouth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearmouth
      • Bearmouth is located in Granite County
    • Drummond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake County
  • Powell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McNamara, with the one closest to McNamara listed first.
    • Reynolds City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reynolds City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds City
      • Reynolds City is located in Powell County
    • Ovando
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Ravalli County
    • Florence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Ravalli County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florence <2>

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

Cemeteries Near McNamara ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McNamara.

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

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

  • Sand Park Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Park Cemetery
    • The Sand Park Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Coloma Cemetery
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Seeley Lake Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Missoula Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Beartown Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beartown Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Beartown Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • Post Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Post Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Post Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Memorial Gardens
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Jocko Valley Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jocko Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jocko Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Florence - Carlton Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Florence - Carlton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Florence - Carlton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Frenchtown Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frenchtown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frenchtown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Joseph's Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ovando Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Sunnyside Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Woodman Pioneer Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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.<5>

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

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

  • Potomac
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potomac have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac
    • Potomac is located in Missoula County
  • Bonner
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Clinton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
    • Clinton is located in Missoula County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinton <2>
  • Missoula
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Missoula have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Missoula
    • Missoula is located in Missoula County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 76,848 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Missoula <2>
  • Beartown ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beartown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
    • Beartown is located in Granite County
  • De Smet
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for De Smet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Smet
    • De Smet is located in Missoula County
  • Lolo
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Evaro
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evaro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evaro
    • Evaro is located in Missoula County
  • Grass Valley
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grass Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Valley
    • Grass Valley is located in Missoula County
  • Carlton
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
    • Carlton is located in Missoula County
  • Arlee
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Ovando
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Frenchtown
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frenchtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
    • Frenchtown is located in Missoula County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frenchtown <2>
  • Bitter Root ‑ Historic
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bitter Root have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitter Root
    • Bitter Root is located in Ravalli County

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

Newspapers Published in McNamara ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around McNamara.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McNamara, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McNamara.

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 McNamara:

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

The official website for Missoula County: www.co.missoula.mt.us/

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>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>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 McNamara, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- McNamara) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McNamara. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.9113, Longitude: -113.6776       In this case, the coordinates for McNamara have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025