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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 Preston (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 Preston. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Preston is located in Meagher 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 Meagher County: Broadwater, Cascade, Gallatin, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Park, Sweet Grass & Wheatland.

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

  • Meagher County     (The home county of Preston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
    • Fort Logan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Logan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Logan
      • Fort Logan is located in Meagher County
    • Langford City ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Langford City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langford City
      • Langford City is located in Meagher County
    • White Sulphur Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Sulphur Springs
      • White Sulphur Springs is located in Meagher County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 915 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Sulphur Springs <2>
  • Broadwater County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
    • Whites City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whites City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites City
      • Whites City is located in Broadwater County
    • Diamond City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Diamond City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
      • Diamond City is located in Broadwater County
    • Winston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Townsend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Cascade County
    • Millegan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millegan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millegan
      • Millegan is located in Cascade County
  • Jefferson County
    • Montana City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montana City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montana City
      • Montana City is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montana City <2>
  • Lewis and Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
    • Cavetown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavetown
      • Cavetown is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • East Helena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Preston ...

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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Preston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Preston, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Preston.

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 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 Preston:

Cemeteries Near Preston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Preston.

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

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

  • Kinyon Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kinyon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kinyon Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #20950 <4>
  • Diamond City Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Diamond City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Diamond City Cemetery
  • Cemetery Island / Canyon Ferry Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cemetery Island / Canyon Ferry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cemetery Island / Canyon Ferry Cemetery
  • York Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the York Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the York Cemetery
  • Beaver Creek Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Creek Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • Winston Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winston Cemetery
  • Hardgrove Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardgrove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardgrove Cemetery
  • Mayn Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
  • Serbian Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Serbian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Serbian Cemetery
  • Turner Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Turner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Turner Cemetery
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • East Helena Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Helena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Helena Cemetery
    • Centerville Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerville Cemetery
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery

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 Preston in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Preston.

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

  • Fort Logan
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Logan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Logan
    • Fort Logan is located in Meagher County
  • Millegan
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millegan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millegan
    • Millegan is located in Cascade County
  • Canton
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
    • Canton is located in Broadwater County
  • Clasoil
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clasoil have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clasoil
    • Clasoil is located in Jefferson County
  • White Sulphur Springs
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Sulphur Springs
    • White Sulphur Springs is located in Meagher County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 915 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Sulphur Springs <2>
  • Wolsey
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolsey
    • Wolsey is located in Meagher County
  • East Helena
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Preston. 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>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- Preston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Preston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.7438, Longitude: -111.3583       In this case, the coordinates for Preston have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Preston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024