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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 Backus Beach (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 Backus Beach. 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 Backus Beach ...

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 Backus Beach: Backus Bch.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Backus Beach is located in Alcona 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 Alcona County: Alpena, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw & Oscoda.

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

  • Alcona County     (The home county of Backus Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus Beach, with the one closest to Backus Beach listed first.
    • Hubbard Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard Lake
      • Hubbard Lake is located in Alcona County
    • Barton City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lost Lake Woods
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Lake Woods
      • Lost Lake Woods is located in Alcona County
    • Spruce
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lincoln
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Gustin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gustin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustin
      • Gustin is located in Alcona County
    • Alcona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
      • Alcona is located in Alcona County
    • Black River
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Mikado
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Curran
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Harrisville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Springport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springport
      • Springport is located in Alcona County
  • Alpena County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus Beach, with the one closest to Backus Beach listed first.
    • Hubbard Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Ossineke
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Herron
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herron
      • Herron is located in Alpena County
    • McHarg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHarg
      • McHarg is located in Alpena County
    • Alpena Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpena Junction. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpena Junction
      • Alpena Junction is located in Alpena County
    • Alpena
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Flanders
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
      • Flanders is located in Alpena County
    • Lachine
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lachine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lachine
      • Lachine is located in Alpena County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lachine <1>
    • Long Rapids
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
      • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
    • Cathro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cathro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cathro
      • Cathro is located in Alpena County
  • Iosco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus Beach, with the one closest to Backus Beach listed first.
    • Lincoln Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lincoln Junction. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Junction
      • Lincoln Junction is located in Iosco County
    • Sid Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sid Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sid Town
      • Sid Town is located in Iosco County
    • Foote Site Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foote Site Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foote Site Village
      • Foote Site Village is located in Iosco County
    • Wilber
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
      • Wilber is located in Iosco County
    • Oscoda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Au Sable
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Au Sable
      • Au Sable is located in Iosco County
    • Long Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Montmorency County
    • Hillman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ogemaw County
  • Oscoda County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Backus Beach, with the one closest to Backus Beach listed first.
    • McKinley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McKinley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKinley
      • McKinley is located in Oscoda County
    • Fairview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Oscoda County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairview <1>
    • Kneeland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kneeland
      • Kneeland is located in Oscoda County
    • Mio
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Backus Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Backus Beach.

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

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

  • Maple Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Ridge Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Maple Ridge Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<4> to the west of Barton City.
    • The Maple Ridge Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Barton City Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1008 <5>
  • Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Caledonia Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Caledonia Twp. Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Caledonia Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Spruce.
    • The Caledonia Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pleasant View Cemetery
    • Spruce Cemetery
    • Spruce Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2290666 <5>
  • Flowers Grave
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flowers Grave
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flowers Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Flowers Grave is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<4> to the east of Spruce.
  • Hubbard Lake Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hubbard Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hubbard Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Twin Lake Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Twin Lake Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Twin Lake Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Lincoln.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1766601 <5>
  • St. Catherine's Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Catherine's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Catherine's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Joy Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Joy Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Joy Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<4> to the northeast of Alcona.
    • The Mt. Joy Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Alcona Cemetery
    • Haynes Twp. Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<4> to the east of Black River.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Black River Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #219 <5>
  • German Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Curran Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Curran Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Curran Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<4> to the northwest of Curran.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #341 <5>
  • Continue List   (46 more) ...
    • Fullerton Family Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Sanborn Twp. Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanborn Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanborn Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Matthew Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Matthew Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Matthew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Backus Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Backus Beach.

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

  • Hubbard Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Gustin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gustin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustin
    • Gustin is located in Alcona County
  • Ossineke
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Alcona
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
    • Alcona is located in Alcona County
  • Black River
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Curran
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Mikado
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenbush
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Bryant
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
    • Bryant is located in Alcona County
  • Alpena
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Flanders
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
    • Flanders is located in Alpena County
  • Fairview
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Fairview is located in Oscoda County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairview <1>
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Wilber
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
      • Wilber is located in Iosco County
    • Oscoda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 Rapids
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
      • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County

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

Newspapers Published in Backus Beach ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Backus Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Backus Beach, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Backus Beach.

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 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 Backus Beach:

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

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>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>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.
<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- Backus Beach) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Backus Beach. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.7600, Longitude: -83.5461       In this case, the coordinates for Backus Beach 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 Backus Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025