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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 Rochester (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 Rochester. 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 hospitals 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.

Rochester 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 Rochester. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rochester:

  • Madison County     (The home county of Rochester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Twin Bridges
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Silver Star
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheridan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Mammoth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mammoth
      • Mammoth is located in Madison County
    • Laurin ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurin
      • Laurin is located in Madison County
    • Strawberry ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Alder
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Pony ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Beaverhead County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Glen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Glendale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Beaverhead County
    • Lion City ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lion City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lion City
      • Lion City is located in Beaverhead County
    • Wise River
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Elkhorn ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elkhorn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
      • Elkhorn is located in Beaverhead County
    • Dillon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Argenta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argenta
      • Argenta is located in Beaverhead County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Piedmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
      • Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
    • Pipestone Hot Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipestone Hot Springs
      • Pipestone Hot Springs is located in Jefferson County
    • Whitehall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Silver Bow County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rochester, with the one closest to Rochester listed first.
    • Melrose
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Moose Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Highland City ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Divide
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Janney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janney
      • Janney is located in Silver Bow County
    • Butte - Silver Bow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butte - Silver Bow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butte - Silver Bow
      • Butte - Silver Bow is located in Silver Bow County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 34,207 people
    • Williamsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Silver Bow County
    • Butte
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Ramsay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Walkerville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • North Walkerville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Walkerville
      • North Walkerville is located in Silver Bow County

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

Newspapers Published in Rochester ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rochester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rochester, 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 Rochester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Rochester:

Cemeteries Near Rochester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rochester.

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

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

  • Rochester Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rochester Cemetery
  • Bird Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Melrose Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Twin Bridges Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Masonic Cemetery
  • Silver Star Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Reichle Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Point of Rocks Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Point of Rocks Cemetery
  • Haining Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Fish Creek Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fish Creek Cemetery
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Sheridan Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sheridan Cemetery
    • Dewey Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)

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.<6>

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

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

  • Melrose
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Twin Bridges
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Glen
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Silver Star
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Glendale
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Glendale is located in Beaverhead County
  • Divide
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Woodin
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodin
    • Woodin is located in Silver Bow County
  • Apex
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
  • Sheridan
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Feely
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Feely have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Feely
    • Feely is located in Silver Bow County
  • Dewey
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dewey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey
    • Dewey is located in Beaverhead County
  • Highview
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highview
    • Highview is located in Silver Bow County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Pipestone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pipestone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipestone
      • Pipestone is located in Jefferson County
    • Buxton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buxton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton
      • Buxton is located in Silver Bow County
    • Laurin ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurin
      • Laurin 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 Rochester. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rochester.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Rochester. 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Rochester) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rochester. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.6127, Longitude: -112.5058       In this case, the coordinates for Rochester have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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>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 Rochester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024