User:Kmnwestbye/sandbox Montana

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Montana Background

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Local Research Resources

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United States

U.S. Gazetteers

Montana

Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places
• Montana.gov Montana.Gov Digital Collection
• Interment.net Interment.net, Montana Cemeteries
• Origin of some Montana Place names Jesse Perry Rowe. Origin of Some Montana Place Names. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
• Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana gazetteer and business directory R L Polk. Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory. Minneapolis, [etc.], R. L. Polk and Co 1888
• The Pacific Coast business directory for .. Henry G Langley. The Pacific Coast business directory for ... San Francisco : H.G. Langley 1867
• The National gazetteer of the United States of America. United States Concise 1990 U.S. Geological Survey. The National gazetteer of the United States of America. United States Concise 1990 Washington : U.S. G.P.O. ; 1990

Print Only Gazetteers

• Northwestern Gazetteer, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory R L Polk. Northwestern Gazetteer, Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Montana Gazetteer and Business Directory. St. Paul, Minnesota. St. Paul, Minnesota: R. L. Polk & Company, 1914
• Names on the face of Montana : the story of Montana's place names Roberta Carkeek Cheney. Names on the Face of Montana : the Story of Montana's Place Names. Missoula, Montana : Mountain Press, 1992, c1983

Why Use Gazetteers

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a state with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:

• Different religious denominations
• Schools, colleges, and universities
• Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
• The population size.
• Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
• Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
• Longitude and latitude.
• Distances and direction from other from cities.
• Schools, colleges, and universities.
• Denominations and number of churches.
• Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)