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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Rockford to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Rockford, 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 Rockford (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 Rockford. 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Rockford is historic, it would have been located within present day Fergus 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 Fergus County: Blaine, Chouteau, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Musselshell, Petroleum, Phillips & Wheatland.

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

  • Fergus County     (The home county of Rockford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
    • Moore
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
      • Moore is located in Fergus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moore <3>
    • Glengarry
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glengarry
      • Glengarry is located in Fergus County
    • Lewistown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewistown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown
      • Lewistown is located in Fergus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,905 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewistown <3>
    • Straw
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Straw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straw
      • Straw is located in Fergus County
    • Lewistown Heights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewistown Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown Heights
      • Lewistown Heights is located in Fergus County
    • Buffalo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Garneill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Heath
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heath
      • Heath is located in Fergus County
    • Danvers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
      • Danvers is located in Fergus County
    • Giltedge ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giltedge
      • Giltedge is located in Fergus County
    • Kendall ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
      • Kendall is located in Fergus County
    • Hilger
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Maiden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maiden
      • Maiden is located in Fergus County
  • Judith Basin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockford, with the one closest to Rockford listed first.
    • Hobson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hobson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobson
      • Hobson is located in Judith Basin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hobson <3>
    • Moccasin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Windham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windham
      • Windham is located in Judith Basin County
    • Sapphire Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sapphire Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapphire Village
      • Sapphire Village is located in Judith Basin County
  • Wheatland County
    • Judith Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Rockford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockford.

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

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

  • Beaver Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moore Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moore Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buffalo - Straw Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo - Straw Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Buffalo - Straw Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Straw.
    • The Buffalo - Straw Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Buffalo Cemetery
    • Straw Cemetery
  • Lewistown Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garneill Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garneill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garneill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ubet Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ubet Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ubet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Moccasin Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moccasin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moccasin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Philbrook Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Philbrook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Philbrook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Central Montana Memorial Gardens
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Great Divide Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Great Divide Cemetery
    • The Great Divide Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Piper Cemetery
  • Danvers Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Judith Gap Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Judith Gap Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Judith Gap Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Judith Gap.
      • The Judith Gap Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Woodlawn Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #197831 <5>
    • Benchland Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benchland Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benchland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Utica Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Utica Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Utica Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.

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

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

  • Cottonwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottonwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
    • Cottonwood is located in Fergus County
  • Lewistown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewistown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown
    • Lewistown is located in Fergus County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,905 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewistown <3>
  • Buffalo
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Maiden
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maiden
    • Maiden is located in Fergus County
  • Fort Maginnis ‑ Historic
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Maginnis came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Maginnis
    • Fort Maginnis is located in Fergus County

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

Newspapers Published in Rockford ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockford.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rockford, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rockford.

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 Rockford:

The official website for Fergus County: www.co.fergus.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 Rockford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<7>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rockford) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rockford. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.9402, Longitude: -109.6160       In this case, the coordinates for Rockford have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025