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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 Alabaster (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 Alabaster. 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 hospitals and 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.

Alabaster is located in Iosco County.

To see how the shape of Michigan's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Iosco County: Alcona, Arenac, Ogemaw & Oscoda.

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

  • Iosco County     (The home county of Alabaster)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alabaster, with the one closest to Alabaster listed first.
    • Tawas City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • East Tawas
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • White Rock ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Iosco County
    • National City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for National City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for National City
      • National City is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for National City <1>
    • Whittemore
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whittemore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
      • Whittemore is located in Iosco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whittemore <1>
    • Wilber
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilber have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
      • Wilber is located in Iosco County
    • Foote Site Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foote Site Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foote Site Village
      • Foote Site Village is located in Iosco County
    • Hale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sid Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sid Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sid Town
      • Sid Town is located in Iosco County
    • Au Sable
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Au Sable
      • Au Sable is located in Iosco County
    • Oscoda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscoda
      • Oscoda is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oscoda <1>
    • Long Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Alcona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alabaster, with the one closest to Alabaster listed first.
    • Glennie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Mikado
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Curtisville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtisville
      • Curtisville is located in Alcona County
    • Greenbush
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Arenac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alabaster, with the one closest to Alabaster listed first.
    • Harmon City Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmon City Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon City Heights
      • Harmon City Heights is located in Arenac County
    • Au Gres
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Turner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Turner is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Twining
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twining have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twining
      • Twining is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Omer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
      • Omer is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Saganing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saganing
      • Saganing is located in Arenac County
    • Standish
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Standish have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standish
      • Standish is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Standish <1>
    • Whites Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Beach
      • Whites Beach is located in Arenac County
    • Sterling
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
      • Sterling is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterling <1>
  • Bay County
    • Pinconning
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinconning have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinconning
      • Pinconning is located in Bay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinconning <1>
  • Huron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alabaster, with the one closest to Alabaster listed first.
    • Caseville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caseville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseville
      • Caseville is located in Huron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caseville <1>
    • Ora Labora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ora Labora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ora Labora
      • Ora Labora is located in Huron County
      • Ora Labora has also been known as:
      • Ora et Labora
    • Bay Port
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Valley Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Island
      • Valley Island is located in Huron County
    • Berne
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berne have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berne
      • Berne is located in Huron County
    • Port Crescent ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Crescent
      • Port Crescent is located in Huron County
    • Pigeon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pinnebog
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinnebog have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinnebog
      • Pinnebog is located in Huron County
    • Port Austin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Pointe aux Barques
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pointe aux Barques
      • Pointe aux Barques is located in Huron County
  • Ogemaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alabaster, with the one closest to Alabaster listed first.
    • Prescott
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Skidway Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skidway Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skidway Lake
      • Skidway Lake is located in Ogemaw County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Skidway Lake <1>
    • South Branch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lupton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Fayettes Corner ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayettes Corner
      • Fayettes Corner is located in Ogemaw County
    • Campbells Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Campbells Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbells Corners
      • Campbells Corners is located in Ogemaw County

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

Newspapers Published in Alabaster ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alabaster.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alabaster, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alabaster.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Alabaster:

Cemeteries Near Alabaster ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alabaster.

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

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

  • Alabaster Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alabaster Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alabaster Twp. Cemetery
  • Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Memory Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
  • Whitney Sims Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitney Sims Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitney Sims Cemetery
  • Laidlaw Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laidlaw Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laidlaw Cemetery
  • Sims Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sims Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sims Cemetery
  • American Legion Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the American Legion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the American Legion Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Cemetery
  • Pine Top Rest Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Top Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Top Rest Cemetery
  • Continue List   (70 more) ...
    • Poor Farm Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poor Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poor Farm Cemetery
    • Linwood Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Linwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Linwood Cemetery
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Alabaster had a population of 350 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Tawas City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • East Tawas
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • McIvor
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McIvor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIvor
    • McIvor is located in Iosco County
  • Au Gres
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Whittemore
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whittemore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
    • Whittemore is located in Iosco County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whittemore <1>
  • Wilber
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilber have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
    • Wilber is located in Iosco County
  • Omer
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
    • Omer is located in Arenac County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
  • Hale
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Prescott
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Maple Ridge
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
    • Maple Ridge is located in Arenac County
  • Arenac
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arenac have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
    • Arenac is located in Arenac County
  • Au Sable
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Au Sable
    • Au Sable is located in Iosco County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Oscoda
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscoda
      • Oscoda is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oscoda <1>
    • Melita
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melita have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
      • Melita is located in Arenac County
    • Caseville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caseville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caseville
      • Caseville is located in Huron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caseville <1>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alabaster. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Iosco County: www.iosco.m33access.com/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alabaster) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alabaster. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.1864, Longitude: -83.5580       In this case, the coordinates for Alabaster have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Alabaster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024