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 Madison (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 Madison. 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.
Madison is located in Lake County.
To see how the shape of Ohio's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lake County: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga & Geauga.
Below are the counties that are near Madison. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Madison:
- Lake County (The home county of Madison)
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- North Madison
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- North Madison is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Madison
- North Perry
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- North Perry is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Perry
- Population from the 2020 Census: 885 people
- Perry
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Painesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Fairport Harbor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Grand River
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Mentor
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Kirtland Hills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kirtland Hills is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtland Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
- Mentor-on-the-Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Kirtland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Reynolds
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Reynolds is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds
- Brentwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Brentwood is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
- Ashtabula County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Harpersfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Harpersfield is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpersfield
- Driftwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Driftwood is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
- Geneva
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mechanicsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Mechanicsville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Geneva-on-the-Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Trumbull
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trumbull
- Austinburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Saybrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Saybrook is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saybrook
- East Trumbull
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trumbull
- Eagleville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Eagleville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleville
- Hartsgrove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hartsgrove is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsgrove
- Rock Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cuyahoga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Gates Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mayfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Euclid
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Highland Heights
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hunting Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hunting Valley is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 717 people
- Mayfield Heights
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Richmond Heights
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lyndhurst
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Chagrin Falls
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Moreland Hills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Nottingham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Nottingham is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottingham
- Pepper Pike
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Geauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Thompson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Montville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Montville is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montville
- West Bass Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- West Bass Lake is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bass Lake
- Chardon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Huntsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Huntsburg is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,641 people
- Aquilla
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Aquilla is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- East Claridon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- East Claridon is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Claridon
- Burton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Middlefield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Chesterland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Yates Corners
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Yates Corners is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Corners
- South Russell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- South Russell is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Russell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
- Trumbull County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Mesopotamia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Farmington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Farmington is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- West Farmington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Greene
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Greene is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
- Bristolville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gustavus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gustavus is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustavus
- Wassie ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wassie is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wassie
- Mecca
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mecca is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecca
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Madison, see our County-by-County Page for Madison.
Cemeteries Near Madison ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Madison.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Madison - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Madison covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Fairview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- South Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Gore Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Madison Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Middle Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Madison Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- North Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Old Unionville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Clague Farm Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hutchins Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Main Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (216 more) ...
- Dock Road Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Perry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry Cemetery
- The Perry Cemetery has also been known as:
- Center Road Cemetery
- Disciples Cemetery
- Perry Center Cemetery
- Perry Center Road Cemetery
- Perry Twp. Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2211916 <2>
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Madison had a population of 738 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Madison had a population of 3,159 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Wheeler ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wheeler is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- North Madison
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- North Madison is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Madison
- Unionville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Unionville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Perry
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Thompson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Harpersfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Harpersfield is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpersfield
- Calm ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Calm is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calm
- Cork
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cork is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cork
- Geneva
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lane
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lane is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lane
- Breakman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Breakman is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breakman
- Bostwick
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Bostwick is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bostwick
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- South Thompson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- South Thompson is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Thompson
- Footville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Footville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footville
- Trumbull
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trumbull
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Madison. See our List of 1890's Communities around Madison.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Madison ...
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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Madison.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Madison. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Madison and those printed in the larger area surrounding Madison.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4> of Madison.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Madison:
- Websites specific to Ohio
- Pages specific to Lake County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ashtabula County
- Cuyahoga County
- Geauga County
- Trumbull County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Ohio
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Madison, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Madison) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |