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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 Beaver (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 Beaver. 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 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.

Beaver is located in Bay 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 Bay County: Arenac, Gladwin, Midland, Saginaw & Tuscola.

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

  • Bay County     (The home county of Beaver)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • Seidlers
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Seidlers is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
    • Willard
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Willard is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Duel
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Duel is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
    • Linwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Brissette Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Brissette Beach is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brissette Beach
    • Auburn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Fisherville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Fisherville is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
    • Kawkawlin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wenona Beach ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Wenona Beach is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona Beach
    • Nine Mile
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Nine Mile is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Mile
    • Pinconning
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Banks ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Banks is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Banks has also been known as:
      • Bangor
      • Bank City
  • Arenac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • Saganing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Saganing is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saganing
    • Whites Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Whites Beach is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Beach
    • Standish
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Pine River
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine River is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine River
    • Sterling
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Arenac
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Arenac is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
    • Omer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Omer is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Melita
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Melita is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
    • Au Gres
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Maple Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Maple Ridge is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
    • Twining
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Twining is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twining
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
  • Gladwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • Rhodes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rhodes is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
    • Highwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Highwood is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
    • Beaverton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • White Star
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • White Star is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Star
    • Wooden Shoe Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Wooden Shoe Village is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooden Shoe Village
    • Gladwin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sugar Rapids
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sugar Rapids is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Rapids
  • Gratiot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • North Wheeler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
    • Wheeler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Breckenridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Huron County
    • Sebewaing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Isabella County
    • Loomis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Loomis is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • Midland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hope
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Averill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
    • Sanford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Edenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Edenville is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
    • North Bradley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • North Bradley is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
    • Ryan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ryan is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
    • Alamando
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Alamando is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
    • Porter
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Porter is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Redstone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Redstone is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
    • Coleman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Oil City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Oil City is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
  • Saginaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • Freeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Kochville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Kochville is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kochville
    • Melbourne ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Melbourne is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbourne
    • Dice
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Dice is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dice
    • Zilwaukee city
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Zilwaukee city is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zilwaukee city
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
    • Carrollton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Carrollton is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
    • Frost
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Frost is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
    • Crow Island ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Crow Island is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Island
    • Iva
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Iva is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
    • Saginaw
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Saginaw is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,823 people
      • Former names for Saginaw:
      • East Saginaw
      • Saginaw City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saginaw <1>
    • Shields
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Shields is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
    • Buena Vista
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Buena Vista is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
  • Tuscola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver listed first.
    • Bay Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Bay Park is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Park
    • Gilford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilford is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilford
    • Denmark Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Denmark Junction is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark Junction
    • Richville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Akron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Fairgrove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Unionville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Beaver ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Beaver.

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 Beaver - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Beaver covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Beaver, with the one closest to Beaver 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.<3>

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

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

  • Willard
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Willard is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
  • Linwood
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Fisherville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Fisherville is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
  • Auburn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Kawkawlin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Midland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Wenona Beach ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Wenona Beach is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona Beach
  • Salzburg ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Salzburg is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
  • Banks ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Banks is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
    • Banks has also been known as:
    • Bangor
    • Bank City
  • Pinconning
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Nine Mile
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Nine Mile is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Mile
  • Mount Forest
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Mount Forest is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Forest
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Frankenlust
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Frankenlust is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenlust
    • Brooks ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Brooks is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
    • Bay City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Beaver ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Beaver.

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

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 websites either 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 Beaver:

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>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 Beaver, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Beaver) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.