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

Bellaire is located in Antrim County and is the County Seat.

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 Antrim County: Charlevoix, Crawford, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska & Otsego.

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

  • Antrim County     (The home county of Bellaire)
  • Charlevoix County
  • Crawford County
  • Emmet County
  • Grand Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Old Mission
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Angel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Tunk ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tunk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunk
      • Tunk is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tunk
      • From Bellaire to Tunk
    • Mabel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Mapleton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Williamsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Williamsburg has also been known as:
      • Williamburg
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsburg <3>
    • Acme
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Acme <3>
    • Devils Elbow
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Traverse City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Kalkaska County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Westwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
      • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Westwood
      • From Bellaire to Westwood
    • Rapid City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapid City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapid City
      • Rapid City is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rapid City <3>
    • Torch River
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Torch River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch River
      • Torch River is located in Kalkaska County
    • Barker Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Kalkaska
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalkaska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalkaska
      • Kalkaska is located in Kalkaska County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,083 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalkaska <3>
    • Sigma
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sigma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigma
      • Sigma is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sigma
      • From Bellaire to Sigma
    • Lodi
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • South Boardman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Spencer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spencer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Spencer
      • From Bellaire to Spencer
    • Angling
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Angling. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angling
      • Angling is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Angling
      • From Bellaire to Angling
    • Deibert
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Sharon ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sharon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Kalkaska County
      • Sharon has also been known as:
      • Big Oley
      • Jam One
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sharon
      • From Bellaire to Sharon
    • Fife Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fife Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fife Lake
      • Fife Lake is located in Kalkaska County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fife Lake <3>
  • Leelanau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Omena
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Peshawbestown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Manseau ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manseau. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manseau
      • Manseau is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Manseau
      • From Bellaire to Manseau
    • Suttons Bay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suttons Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttons Bay
      • Suttons Bay is located in Leelanau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 617 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Suttons Bay <3>
    • Northport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bingham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bingham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham
      • Bingham is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bingham
      • From Bellaire to Bingham
    • Onominee ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onominee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onominee
      • Onominee is located in Leelanau County
      • Onominee has also been known as:
      • Onominese
      • Onomonese
      • Onuminee
      • Onumunese
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Onominee
      • From Bellaire to Onominee
    • Greilickville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greilickville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greilickville
      • Greilickville is located in Leelanau County
    • Lake Leelanau
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Leland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bodus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bodus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodus
      • Bodus is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bodus
      • From Bellaire to Bodus
    • Isadore ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Isadore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
      • Isadore is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Isadore
      • From Bellaire to Isadore
    • Schomberg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Schomberg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schomberg
      • Schomberg is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Schomberg
      • From Bellaire to Schomberg
  • Otsego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellaire, with the one closest to Bellaire listed first.
    • Elmira
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmira have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
      • Elmira is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmira <3>
    • Hallock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hallock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallock
      • Hallock is located in Otsego County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hallock
      • From Bellaire to Hallock
    • Arbutus Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Pearll City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearll City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearll City
      • Pearll City is located in Otsego County
    • Waters
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Berryville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Berryville is located in Otsego County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berryville
      • From Bellaire to Berryville
    • Gaylord
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Vanderbilt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lower Chub Landing ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Bellaire ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bellaire.

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

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

  • Eldred Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Flewelling Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flewelling Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flewelling Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bryden Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bryden Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bryden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Densmore Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Densmore Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Densmore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Helena Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Chapman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chestonia Twp. #2 Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chestonia Twp. #2 Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chestonia Twp. #2 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Southern Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Southern Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Southern Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Russell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kewadin Indian Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kewadin Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kewadin Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (128 more) ...
    • Westwood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westwood Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Anthony's Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthony's Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anthony's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fairview Cemetery (North)
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)

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 Bellaire had a population of 650 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bellaire had a population of 1,068 people.

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

  • Clam Lake ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clam Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clam Lake
    • Clam Lake is located in Antrim County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Clam Lake
    • From Bellaire to Clam Lake
  • Snowflake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snowflake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowflake
    • Snowflake is located in Antrim County
  • Finkton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Central Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Lake
    • Central Lake is located in Antrim County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 942 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central Lake <3>
  • Creswell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creswell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
    • Creswell is located in Antrim County
  • Kewadin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Antrim
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antrim have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antrim
    • Antrim is located in Antrim County
  • Mancelona
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mancelona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mancelona
    • Mancelona is located in Antrim County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,375 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mancelona <3>
  • Chestonia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chestonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestonia
    • Chestonia is located in Antrim County
  • Westwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Westwood
    • From Bellaire to Westwood
  • Wetzel ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wetzel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wetzel
    • Wetzel is located in Antrim County
    • Wetzel has also been known as:
    • Wetzell
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wetzel
    • From Bellaire to Wetzel
  • Torch Lake
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Torch Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch Lake
    • Torch Lake is located in Antrim County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bellaire ...

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 103 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bellaire.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bellaire. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bellaire and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bellaire.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Bellaire.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Bellaire:

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

The official website for Antrim County: www.antrimcounty.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>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 Bellaire, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bellaire) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bellaire. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.9755, Longitude: -85.2060    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025