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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 Helena (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 Helena. 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 doctors 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.

Helena is located in Lewis and Clark County and is the County Seat.

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 Lewis and Clark County: Broadwater, Cascade, Flathead, Jefferson, Meagher, Powell & Teton.

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

  • Lewis and Clark County     (The home county of Helena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Fort Harrison
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Helena
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Park City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
      • Park City is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Birdseye
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdseye
      • Birdseye is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Austin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
      • Austin is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Rimini ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimini
      • Rimini is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Silver City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Frontier Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frontier Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frontier Town
      • Frontier Town is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Cavetown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavetown
      • Cavetown is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Marysville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Canyon Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Atlantic City ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlantic City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic City
      • Atlantic City is located in Lewis and Clark County
    • Wolf Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Broadwater County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Winston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Whites City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whites City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites City
      • Whites City is located in Broadwater County
    • Diamond City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Diamond City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
      • Diamond City is located in Broadwater County
    • Townsend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Montana City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montana City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Clancy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Alhambra
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alhambra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alhambra
      • Alhambra is located in Jefferson County
    • Jefferson City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Comet ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
      • Comet is located in Jefferson County
      • Comet has also been known as:
      • High Ore
    • Elkhorn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
      • Elkhorn is located in Jefferson County
    • Basin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Boulder
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Powell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Helena, with the one closest to Helena listed first.
    • Elliston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Blackfoot City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackfoot City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackfoot City
      • Blackfoot City is located in Powell County
    • Avon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Emery ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emery
      • Emery is located in Powell County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Helena ...

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 132 newspapers that have been published in the area around Helena.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Helena. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Helena and those printed in the larger area surrounding Helena.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Helena.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Helena:

Cemeteries Near Helena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Helena.

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

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

  • Benton Ave. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Benton Ave. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Benton Ave. Cemetery
  • Lewis & Clark County Poor Farm Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis & Clark County Poor Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis & Clark County Poor Farm Cemetery
  • Resurrection Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Home of Peace Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home of Peace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home of Peace Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Montana State Veterans Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Montana State Veterans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Montana State Veterans Cemetery
  • East Helena Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Helena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Helena Cemetery
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
  • Ft. William Henry Harrison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lewis & Clark County Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis & Clark County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis & Clark County Cemetery
  • Forestvale Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Serbian Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Serbian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Serbian Cemetery
    • Sunset Memorial Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery
    • Hardgrove Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardgrove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardgrove 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Helena had a population of 13,834 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Helena had a population of 33,737 people.

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

  • Montana City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montana City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • East Helena
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Iron
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron
    • Iron is located in Lewis and Clark County
  • Clancy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Birdseye
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdseye
    • Birdseye is located in Lewis and Clark County
  • Alhambra
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alhambra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alhambra
    • Alhambra is located in Jefferson County
  • Clasoil
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clasoil have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clasoil
    • Clasoil is located in Jefferson County
  • Rimini ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimini
    • Rimini is located in Lewis and Clark County
  • Jefferson City
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Corbin
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corbin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbin
    • Corbin is located in Jefferson County
  • Blossburg
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blossburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossburg
    • Blossburg is located in Powell County
  • Wickes ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wickes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickes
    • Wickes is located in Jefferson County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Marysville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Portal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portal have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portal
      • Portal is located in Jefferson County
    • Canyon Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)

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

The official website for Helena: www.ci.helena.mt.us/

The official website for Lewis and Clark County: www.co.lewis-clark.mt.us/

The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.gov/

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 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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Helena) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Helena. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.5911, Longitude: -112.0205    
<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 Helena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024