Michigan Western, 1884 Directory

The data in this database is derived from an 1884 Polk's Directory of the towns and villages in the west side of the State of Michigan, north of Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids was not included because it had a separate directory at that time. Only the head of each household was enumerated, and information about an individual includes name, occupation, place of employment and residence. Following is a description of the various towns and villages included in the directory:

Alanson is a station on the G.R. & I.R.R located on the Crooked River in Maple River Township, Emmet County. The village, formerly called Hinman, has steamboat communication with Cheboygan daily during navigation. The city has a population of 100.

Alba is a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Chestonia Township, Antrim County. The village is surrounded by an excellent agricultural section of country, which also abounds in timber. Its shipments are wheat, lumber, and potatoes. The city has a population of 200.

Ashton, a station on the G.R. & I R.R., is located in Lincoln Township, Osceola County. Shipments are lumber, shingles, hemlock bark, ties, and posts. The city has a population of 250.

Big Rapids, located on the Muskegon River, is one of the most important lumbering streams in the State, is in Mecosta County. It is on the G.R. & I.R.R. and is the receiving and distributing point for a large section of the surrounding country. The city has a population of 6,500.

Boyne Falls, a lumber manufacturing village, is located on the Boyne River in Boyne Valley Township, Charlevoix County. It is a station on the G.R. & I.R.R. Located in a fine timber area, its shipments are lumber and timber. It has a population of 200.

Cadillac, a very important station on the G.R. & I.R.R., it is the center of the lumbering interest of Northern Michigan. It is located in Wexford County. Cadillac was named after the French Commandant De La Motte Cadillac. The city has a population of 4,000.

Cedar Springs, a thriving village, is located in the Townships of Nelson and Solon, Kent County. It is an important station on the G.R. & I.R.R., exporting produce, lumber, staves, and shingles. It has 1,400 inhabitants.

Cheboygan is situated on both sides of the Cheboygan River at the entrance to the Straits of Mackinaw. It is located in Cheboygan County and is a distributing trade center. The population is 5,000.

Duncan City, with a population of 500, is also included in this listing.

Crofton, a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., is located in Boardman Township, Kalkaska County. It exports lumber. The city has a population of 200.

Edgerton, a prosperous village and station on the G.R. & I.R.R., is located in Algona Township, Kent County. It is the shipping point for shingle and flour mills. The population is 150.

Elmira, previously called Windsor, is a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Elmira Township, Otsego County. It is a good farming and hardwood maple region. The city has a population of 200.

Fife Lake, a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., is located in Grand Traverse County. It is a shipping point for a large lumbering region. The population is 1,000.

Harbor Springs, a flourishing village on the North shore of Little Traverse Bay, formerly called Little Traverse, is located in Emmet County. It has one of the finest harbors in the lakes and many springs of pure water.

Harbor Springs is a popular summer resort and important station on the G.R. & I.R.R.. It is the terminus of the B.V., L.T., and M. branch of the G.R. & I.R.R.. Fine farming land and an abundance of hardwood timber are in the vicinity. The city has a population of 750.

Hobart, a Hamlet, is located in Clam Lake Township, Wexford County. It is a station on the G.R & I.R.R. and exports wheat, oats, potatoes, lumber, and tan bark. The city has a population of 75.

Howard City, located at the junction of the G.R. & I.R.R. and the D.L. & N.R. railroads, is in Montcalm County. It is a flourishing town on the Tamarac River. The city has a population of 1,600.

Kalkaska, is located on the North Boardman River, Kalkaska County. It has good farms and ships lumber, fruit, ginseng and farm produce. It is an important station on the G.R. & I.R.R.. The city has a population of 1,000.

Kingsley, the postal name is Paradise, is a village on the T.C. branch of the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Paradise Township, Grand Traverse County. It manufactures hardwood lumber. No population is recorded.

Leetsville, a post village on the G.R. & I.R.R., is located in Rapid River Township, Kalkaska County. The city has a population of 50.

Le Roy, a village located in Le Roy Township, Osceola County. It is a station on the G.R. & I.R.R.. The town ships lumber, grain and potatoes. No population recorded.

Lockwood, a hamlet and station on the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Nelson Township, Kent County. It has good agricultural farming land and ships lumber, shingles, staves, and hoops. The city has a population of 125.

Luther, a village on the Manistee branch of the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Ellsworth Township, Lake County. Luther is in a good farming section with manufacturing and agricultural advantages. It has 1,300 inhabitants.

Mackinac Island, in Mackinac County, is located on the Straits of Mackinac. Daily communication is had by boats and steamers. An old fort is in the village garrisoned by two companies of U.S. troops. It is a very popular summer resort. The city has a population of 800.

Mackinaw City, the northern most point of the lower peninsular of Michigan, is located on the G.R. & I.R.R. at the junction of the M. division of the M.C. R.R., in Beaugrand Township, Cheboygan County. It is a popular summer resort. The city has a population of 500.

Mancelona, a thriving village and station on the G.R. & I.R.R, located in Mancelona Township, Antrim County. Shipments are timber, hard and soft woods, grain, and potatoes. The city has a population of 500.

Manton, is an important station on the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Cedar Creek Township, Wexford County. Exports lumber, lath, shingles, flour, and potatoes. The city has a population of 400.

Maple Hill, a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Pierson Township, Montcalm County. It is the shipping point for eight shingle mills that operate in the vicinity. The city has a population of 100.

Mayfield, a village located on the T.C. branch of the G.R. & I.R.R., at the crossing of Swift Creek in Paradise Township, Grand Traverse County. Principal shipments are hardwood lumber and veneers. The city has a population of 150.

Milton Junction, also called McDonald's Siding, a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., located in Lincoln Township, Osceola County. Shipments include lumber, logs, cedar posts, ties, and tan bark. It has a population of 150.

Petoskey, well known throughout the whole country, is the center and distributing point for the whole resort region of Northern Michigan. It is a resort area, called the Bluff City, located on the south side of Little Traverse Bay.

Petoskey was named after a famous Ottawa Chief. It has a population of 2,500.

Pierson, a prosperous village and station on the G.R. & I.R.R, is located in Pierson Township, Montcalm County. The city has a population of 400.

Reed City, situated on the Hersey River, is in Osceola County, at the intersection of the Grand Rapids & Indiana and Flint & Pere Marquette railroads, with excellent facilities for shipping. It is the terminus of the Western division of the State Telephone Line. It has 2,000 inhabitants.

Rockford, a prominent town on the Rogue River and on the G.R. & I.R.R, in Algoma Township, Kent County. It is a rich agricultural and manufacturing district, shipping wheat, wool, fruit, potatoes, flour, and lumber. No population is recorded.

St. Ignace, styled the Gate City of the Upper Peninsula, is situated on the north shore of the Straits of Mackinac, and is the terminus of the Detroit, Mackinac, and Marquette railroad. Shipments are fish, square timber, pig iron, and iron ore. No population is recorded.

Sand Lake, is a thriving and beautiful village located on Sand Lake, in Nelson Township, Kent County. Situated on the G.R. & I.R.R., it exports lumber and shingles, and is also an excellent agricultural section of the country. The population is 600.

South Boardman, a station on the G.R. & I.R.R., is located in Boardman Township, Kalkaska County. Grain and potatoes are shipped from good farming land. The city has a population of 300.

Traverse City, a famous sporting center and resort area, is located in Grand Traverse County. It is situated on Grand Traverse Bay at the mouth of the Boardman River. It is the terminus for the G.R. & I.R.R.. It is one of the finest agricultural and fruit growing regions in the state: shipping flour, fruit, lumber, wheat, and potatoes. The Northern Asylum for the insane is located here. The city has a population of 3,000.

Tustin, a village and station on the G.R. & I.R.R., is located in Burdell Township, Osceola County. Shipments comprise cedar posts, hemlock bark, railroad ties, hardwood logs, lumber, ginseng, and shingles. No population is recorded.

Walton, a town situated in Grand Traverse County. It is on the T.C. branch of the G.R. & I.R.R.. It is the supply point for large lumber camps in the vicinity. The main shipments are lumber, timber, and shingles. The city has a population of 200.

Westwood, a village on the G.R. & I.R.R. is located in Rapid River Township, Kalkaska County. Lumber, grain, potatoes and tan bark are shipped. The city has a population of 150.

City directories are primarily useful for locating people in a particular place and time. They can tell you generally where an ancestor lived and give an exact location for census years. They are also useful for linkage with sources other than censuses.

There are usually several parts to a city directory. The section of most interest to the genealogist, of course, is the alphabetical listing of names, for it is there that you may find your ancestor.

Whenever you use a directory, however, it is important to refer to the page showing abbreviations used in the alphabetical section of the directory, usually following the name in each entry. Some abbreviations are quite common, such as h for home or r, indicating residence. There may even be a subtle distinction between r for residents who are related to the homeowner and b for boarders who are not related.

Some city directories list adult children who lived with their parents but were working or going to school. Look for persons of the same surname residing at the same address. If analyzed and interpreted properly, these annual directories can tell you (by implication) which children belong to which household, when they married and started families of their own, and when they established themselves in business. In cases where specific occupation is given, you can search records pertinent to that occupation.

Once an ancestor has been found in a city directory, there are several ways the information can be used to gain access to, or link with, such sources as censuses, death and probate records, church records, naturalization records, and land records.

Taken from Chapter 11: Research in Directories, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy by Gordon Lewis Remington; edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Incorporated, 1997).