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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 Au Train (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 Au Train. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Au Train is located in Alger 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 Alger County: Delta, Luce, Marquette & Schoolcraft.

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

  • Alger County     (The home county of Au Train)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Au Train, with the one closest to Au Train listed first.
    • Slapneck ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slapneck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slapneck
      • Slapneck is located in Alger County
    • Munising Junction
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Chatham
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Munising
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Eben Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eben Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eben Junction
      • Eben Junction is located in Alger County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eben Junction <3>
    • Onota
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onota. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onota
      • Onota is located in Alger County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Onota
      • From Au Train to Onota
    • Wetmore
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rumely
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Deerton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Indian Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Town
      • Indian Town is located in Alger County
    • Dorsey
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dorsey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
      • Dorsey is located in Alger County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dorsey
      • From Au Train to Dorsey
    • Traunik
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Doty
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Doty. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doty
      • Doty is located in Alger County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Doty
      • From Au Train to Doty
  • Delta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Au Train, with the one closest to Au Train listed first.
    • Lathrop
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lathrop. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathrop
      • Lathrop is located in Delta County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lathrop
      • From Au Train to Lathrop
    • Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Trombly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Marquette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Au Train, with the one closest to Au Train listed first.
    • New Dalton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Dalton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Dalton
      • New Dalton is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Dalton
      • From Au Train to New Dalton
    • Skandia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skandia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skandia
      • Skandia is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Skandia <3>
    • Carlshend
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carlshend. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlshend
      • Carlshend is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carlshend
      • From Au Train to Carlshend
    • Harvey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
      • Harvey is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvey <3>
    • Helena
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Helena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Helena
      • From Au Train to Helena
    • McFarland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake
      • Little Lake is located in Marquette County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Lake <3>
    • Marquette
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Sands
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Gentian
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gentian. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gentian
      • Gentian is located in Marquette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gentian
      • From Au Train to Gentian
    • Trowbridge Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Brookton Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Gwinn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Schoolcraft County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Au Train, with the one closest to Au Train listed first.
    • Steuben
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Steuben. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steuben
      • Steuben is located in Schoolcraft County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Steuben
      • From Au Train to Steuben
    • Creighton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Creighton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creighton
      • Creighton is located in Schoolcraft County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Creighton
      • From Au Train to Creighton

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

Cemeteries Near Au Train ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Au Train.

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

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

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 Au Train had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Rock River
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock River
    • Rock River is located in Alger County
  • Munising
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Onota
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onota. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onota
    • Onota is located in Alger County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Onota
    • From Au Train to Onota
  • Deerton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Shingleton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Gordon
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gordon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Gordon is located in Marquette County
  • Harvey
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
    • Harvey is located in Marquette County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harvey <3>
  • Little Lake
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Lake
    • Little Lake is located in Marquette County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Lake <3>
  • McFarland
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Lathrop
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lathrop. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathrop
    • Lathrop is located in Delta County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lathrop
    • From Au Train to Lathrop
  • Plains
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plains
    • Plains is located in Marquette County
  • Swanzy
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swanzy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanzy
    • Swanzy is located in Marquette County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Au Train ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Au Train.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Au Train. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Au Train and those printed in the larger area surrounding Au Train.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6> of Au Train.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Au Train:

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

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Au Train, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Au Train) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Au Train. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.4303, Longitude: -86.8377    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025