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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Austin Center: Austin Ctr. (or less commonly used: Austin Cen., Austin Cent. or Austin Cntr.)
You might see Austin Centre instead of Austin Center.
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.
For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.
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 may 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)
- Tyre is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
- Argyle
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Argyle is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Palms
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Palms is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palms
- Minden City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Snover
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Snover is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snover
- Deckerville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Decker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Decker is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decker
- McGregor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- McGregor is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGregor
- Hemans
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hemans is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemans
- Elmer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Elmer is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
- Sandusky
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Sandusky is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
- 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)
- Berkshire is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire
- Forestville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Forestville is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- 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)
- Bad Axe
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Rapson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Rapson is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapson
- Helena
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Helena is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helena
- White Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- White Rock is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
- Owendale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Elkton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Filion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Filion is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filion
- Harbor Beach
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Harbor Beach is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbor Beach
- 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>
- Redman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Redman is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redman
- Pigeon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bach
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bach is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bach
- 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)
- Clifford is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
- Silverwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Brown City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Burnside
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Burnside is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- 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)
- Deford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Deford is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deford
- Gagetown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Wilmot
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilmot is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Elmwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Elmwood is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
- Kingston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Colling
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Colling is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colling
- Caro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- 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)
- Wahjamega is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahjamega
- 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.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Austin Center - one of the links might be able to help.
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)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph & St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery
- 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]<3> to the north of Argyle.
- The St. Joseph & St. Ignatius Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Joseph & St. Ignatius' Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2152513 <2>
- Nicol Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. John's Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wheatland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland Cemetery
- The Wheatland Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hillside Cemetery
- Sutherland Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1953 <2>
- 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)
- St. John the Evangelist Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John the Evangelist Catholic Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the north of Ubly.
- The St. John the Evangelist Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2148404 <2>
- Valley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Valley Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the north of Ubly.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1881 <2>
- Minden Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minden Cemetery
- The Minden Cemetery has also been known as:
- Minden City Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1081 <2>
- 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)
- Johnson Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Johnson Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northwest of Snover.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #814 <2>
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.<4>
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)
- Freidberger is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freidberger
- Cumber
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Cumber is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumber
- Argyle
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Argyle is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Tyre
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tyre is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
- Wickware
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wickware is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wickware
- Shabbona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Shabbona is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shabbona
- Palms
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Palms is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palms
- Minden City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Parisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Parisville is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parisville
- Ruth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bad Axe
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Deckerville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Charleston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Charleston is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Popple
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Popple is located in Huron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popple
- Cass City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
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.
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]<3>. 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 begin 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:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Sanilac County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Huron County
- Lapeer County
- Tuscola County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
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 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. |
| <3> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Austin Center) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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. |