Bentley Township, Michigan
township in Gladwin County, Michigan
Bentley Township is a civil township of Gladwin County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 829.
Communities
Rhodes is an unincorporated community within the township at 43°54′06″N 84°10′34″W. The Rhodes 48652 ZIP Code serves the majority of the township. The community was settled by Murry Bently Rhodes, an early postmaster and businessman in the local lumber industry, who gave the community his last name.
Estey is an unincorporated community within the township at 43°52′12″N 84°12′20″W. It was formed around a lumber mill in 1891. For a time, it was an incorporated village but was disincorporated in 1920.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.80 square miles (92.72 km2), of which 35.70 square miles (92.46 km2) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.36%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 859 people, 327 households, and 255 families residing in the township. The population density was 24.1 inhabitants per square mile (9.3/km2). There were 361 housing units at an average density of 10.1 per square mile (3.9/km2).
The public source identifies “Bentley Township, Michigan” as township in Gladwin County, Michigan. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Bentley, Township and Michigan.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Bentley Township, Michigan”, the useful work is to connect “township in Gladwin County, Michigan” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q337854. Authority coordinates are 43.862, -84.196. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1891, 1920 and 2000.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Bentley Township, Michigan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Bentley Township, Michigan primary sources, Bentley Township, Michigan archive and Bentley research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Bentley Township, Michigan”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Bentley Township, Michigan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.