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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

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

Name Variations for Sweetwater ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Sweet Water.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 Sweetwater is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Sweetwater. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sweetwater:

  • Madison County     (The home county of Sweetwater)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sweetwater, with the one closest to Sweetwater listed first.
    • Alder
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
    • Laurin ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurin
      • Laurin is located in Madison County
    • Central City ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Madison County
    • Nevada City ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Virginia City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
      • Virginia City is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
      • Former names for Virginia City:
      • Varina
      • Verina
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virginia City <3>
    • Sheridan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheridan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
    • Cameron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Ennis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
      • Ennis is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,042 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennis <3>
    • Twin Bridges
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twin Bridges have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Beaverhead County
    • Dillon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>

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

Newspapers Published in Sweetwater ...

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 Sweetwater.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sweetwater, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sweetwater.

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 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 Sweetwater:

Cemeteries Near Sweetwater ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sweetwater.

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

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

  • Upper Ruby Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Upper Ruby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Upper Ruby Cemetery
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
  • Boothill Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boothill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boothill Cemetery
  • Virginia City Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Virginia City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Virginia City Cemetery
  • Nevada City Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nevada City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nevada City Cemetery
  • Laurin Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurin Cemetery
  • Poindexter Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Sheridan Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sheridan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sheridan Cemetery
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Point of Rocks Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Point of Rocks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Point of Rocks Cemetery
  • Ennis Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ennis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ennis Cemetery
  • Madison Valley Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Madison Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Madison Valley Cemetery
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...

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

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

  • Laurin ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurin
    • Laurin is located in Madison County
  • Virginia City
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
    • Virginia City is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 225 people
    • Former names for Virginia City:
    • Varina
    • Verina
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Virginia City <3>
  • Sheridan
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheridan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Dillon
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Cameron
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Ennis
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
    • Ennis is located in Madison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,042 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennis <3>
  • Barretts
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barretts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barretts
    • Barretts is located in Beaverhead County
  • Dalys
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dalys have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalys
    • Dalys is located in Beaverhead County

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

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 Sweetwater, 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sweetwater) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sweetwater. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.1158, Longitude: -112.1842       In this case, the coordinates for Sweetwater 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.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 10 Mar 2024