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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 Austin Center (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 Austin Center. 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.

Name Variations for Austin Center ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Austin Center: Austin Ctr. (or less commonly used: Austin Cen., Austin Cent. or Austin Cntr.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Austin Center is located in Sanilac 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 Sanilac County: Huron, Lapeer, Saint Clair & Tuscola.

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

  • Sanilac County     (The home county of Austin Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin Center, with the one closest to Austin Center listed first.
    • Tyre
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
      • Tyre is located in Sanilac County
    • Argyle
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
      • Argyle is located in Sanilac County
    • Palms
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palms
      • Palms is located in Sanilac County
    • Minden City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Snover
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snover
      • Snover is located in Sanilac County
    • Deckerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deckerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckerville
      • Deckerville is located in Sanilac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deckerville <1>
    • Decker
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decker
      • Decker is located in Sanilac County
    • Elmer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
      • Elmer is located in Sanilac County
    • Sandusky
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
      • Sandusky is located in Sanilac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,494 people
      • Former name for Sandusky:
      • Sanilac Centre
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sandusky <1>
    • Berkshire ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berkshire. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire
      • Berkshire is located in Sanilac County
    • Forestville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
      • Forestville is located in Sanilac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Richmondville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmondville
      • Richmondville is located in Sanilac County
  • Huron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin Center, with the one closest to Austin Center listed first.
    • Ubly
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Ruth
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
      • Ruth is located in Huron County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruth <1>
    • Bad Axe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bad Axe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bad Axe
      • Bad Axe is located in Huron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,889 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bad Axe <1>
    • Rapson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapson
      • Rapson is located in Huron County
    • Helena
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helena have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
      • Helena is located in Huron County
    • White Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
      • White Rock is located in Huron County
    • Owendale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owendale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owendale
      • Owendale is located in Huron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Owendale <1>
    • Elkton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Filion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filion
      • Filion is located in Huron County
    • Harbor Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor Beach
      • Harbor Beach is located in Huron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,570 people
      • Former name for Harbor Beach:
      • Sand Beach
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbor Beach <1>
    • Pigeon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bach
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bach
      • Bach is located in Huron County
  • Lapeer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin Center, with the one closest to Austin Center listed first.
    • Clifford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
      • Clifford is located in Lapeer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
    • Silverwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverwood
      • Silverwood is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silverwood <1>
    • Brown City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Burnside
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
      • Burnside is located in Lapeer County
    • North Branch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Tuscola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Austin Center, with the one closest to Austin Center listed first.
    • Cass City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cass City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cass City
      • Cass City is located in Tuscola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cass City <1>
    • Deford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deford
      • Deford is located in Tuscola County
    • Gagetown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gagetown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gagetown
      • Gagetown is located in Tuscola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gagetown <1>
    • Wilmot
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
      • Wilmot is located in Tuscola County
    • Elmwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Tuscola County
    • Kingston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Caro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caro
      • Caro is located in Tuscola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,993 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caro <1>
    • Unionville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Mayville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wahjamega
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wahjamega have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahjamega
      • Wahjamega is located in Tuscola County
    • Akron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Austin Center ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Austin Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Austin Center, 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 Austin Center.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Austin Center:

Cemeteries Near Austin Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Austin Center.

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

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

  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Joseph & St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Joseph & St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<4> to the south of Argyle.
    • The St. Joseph & St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Joseph & St. Ignatius' Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph & St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2152513 <5>
  • Nicol Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nicol Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Nicol Family Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Nicol Union Cemetery
    • Union Burying Ground
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicol Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2398814 <5>
  • St. John's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John's Cemetery
  • Wheatland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Tyre Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Argyle Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
  • St. John the Evangelist Catholic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Minden Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Evergreen Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (167 more) ...
    • St. Patrick Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Brackley Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brackley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brackley Cemetery
    • Johnson Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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>

While we didn't find Austin Center in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Austin Center.

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

  • Freidberger
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freidberger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freidberger
    • Freidberger is located in Sanilac County
  • Cumber
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cumber have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumber
    • Cumber is located in Sanilac County
  • Argyle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
    • Argyle is located in Sanilac County
  • Tyre
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
    • Tyre is located in Sanilac County
  • Wickware
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wickware have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickware
    • Wickware is located in Sanilac County
  • Shabbona
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shabbona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona
    • Shabbona is located in Sanilac County
  • Palms
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palms
    • Palms is located in Sanilac County
  • Minden City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Parisville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parisville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parisville
    • Parisville is located in Huron County
  • Deckerville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deckerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckerville
    • Deckerville is located in Sanilac County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deckerville <1>
  • Ruth
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
    • Ruth is located in Huron County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ruth <1>
  • Bad Axe
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bad Axe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bad Axe
    • Bad Axe is located in Huron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,889 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bad Axe <1>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Charleston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charleston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
      • Charleston is located in Sanilac County
    • Popple
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Popple have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popple
      • Popple is located in Huron County
    • Cass City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cass City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cass City
      • Cass City is located in Tuscola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cass City <1>

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

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

The official website for Sanilac County: www.sanilaccounty.net/

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Austin Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Austin Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.6225, Longitude: -82.9374       In this case, the coordinates for Austin Center 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 Austin Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024