RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Montana >> Gallatin County >> Penwells >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Montana

The Commemorative Quarter for Montana





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Penwells. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Penwells to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Penwells, please Contact Us.

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 Penwells (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 Penwells. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Penwells is historic, it would have been located within present day Gallatin 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 Gallatin County: Fremont (ID), Broadwater, Jefferson, Madison, Meagher, Park, Park (WY) & Teton (WY).

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

  • Gallatin County     (The home county of Penwells)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penwells, with the one closest to Penwells listed first.
    • Bridger
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridger
      • Bridger is located in Gallatin County
    • Wisner Crossing
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wisner Crossing
      • Wisner Crossing is located in Gallatin County
    • Belgrade
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sedan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
      • Sedan is located in Gallatin County
    • Catron
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catron
      • Catron is located in Gallatin County
    • Hillman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman
      • Hillman is located in Gallatin County
    • Bozeman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Chestnut
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
      • Chestnut is located in Gallatin County
    • Four Corners
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
      • Four Corners is located in Gallatin County
    • Amsterdam - Churchill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam - Churchill
      • Amsterdam - Churchill is located in Gallatin County
    • Churchill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchill
      • Churchill is located in Gallatin County
    • Amsterdam
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Broadwater County
    • Copper City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copper City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copper City
      • Copper City is located in Broadwater County
  • Park County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Penwells, with the one closest to Penwells listed first.
    • Clyde Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Wilsall
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Livingston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Brisbin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brisbin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbin
      • Brisbin is located in Park County

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

Cemeteries Near Penwells ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Penwells.

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

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

  • Springhill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springhill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springhill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Reese Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reese Creek Cemetery
    • The Reese Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Old Mormon Cemetery
  • Walker Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Gallatin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Gallatin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Gallatin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Courts Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Courts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Courts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Sunset Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Bozeman.
    • The Sunset Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Gallatin Valley Sunset Memorial Gardens
    • Sunset Memorial Gardens
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2132998 <5>
  • Brondel Catholic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brondel Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brondel Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Rosary Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Rosary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Rosary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sedan Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sedan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sedan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woosley Family Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Dry Creek Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dry Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dry Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Hills Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Hills Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Hills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (27 more) ...
    • Morgan Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morgan Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morgan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fly Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fly Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Churchill Cemetery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)

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.

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

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

  • Springhill
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springhill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springhill
    • Springhill is located in Gallatin County
  • Story
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Story have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story
    • Story is located in Gallatin County
  • Belgrade
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Gallop ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gallop have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallop
    • Gallop is located in Gallatin County
  • Sedan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
    • Sedan is located in Gallatin County
  • Bozeman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Chestnut
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut
    • Chestnut is located in Gallatin County
  • West End
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West End have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West End
    • West End is located in Gallatin County
  • Muir
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muir have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muir
    • Muir is located in Park County
  • Manhattan
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manhattan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manhattan
    • Manhattan is located in Gallatin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,917 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manhattan <2>
  • Hoppers
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoppers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoppers
    • Hoppers is located in Park County
  • Clyde Park
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Meyersburg ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meyersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyersburg
      • Meyersburg is located in Park County
    • Logan
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Logan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
      • Logan is located in Gallatin County
    • Livingston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Penwells ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Penwells.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Penwells, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Penwells.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Penwells:

The official website for Gallatin County: www.co.gallatin.mt.us/

The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Penwells, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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.
<5>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Penwells) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Penwells. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8416, Longitude: -110.9947       In this case, the coordinates for Penwells have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025