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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 Black River (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 Black River. 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 Black River ...

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 Black River: Black Riv.

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 doctors 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.

Black River 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 Black River. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Black River:

  • Alcona County     (The home county of Black River)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River, with the one closest to Black River listed first.
    • Alcona
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
      • Alcona is located in Alcona County
    • Lost Lake Woods
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Lake Woods
      • Lost Lake Woods is located in Alcona County
    • Spruce
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lincoln
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Harrisville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Springport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springport
      • Springport is located in Alcona County
    • Hubbard Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard Lake
      • Hubbard Lake is located in Alcona County
    • Gustin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gustin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustin
      • Gustin is located in Alcona County
    • Greenbush
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Mikado
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Barton City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Curran
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Alpena County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River, with the one closest to Black River listed first.
    • Ossineke
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hubbard Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Alpena
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • McHarg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHarg
      • McHarg is located in Alpena County
    • Herron
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herron
      • Herron is located in Alpena County
    • Flanders
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
      • Flanders is located in Alpena County
    • Lachine
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lachine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
      • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
  • Iosco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River, with the one closest to Black River listed first.
    • Foote Site Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foote Site Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foote Site Village
      • Foote Site Village is located in Iosco County
    • Oscoda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Au Sable
      • Au Sable is located in Iosco County
    • Sid Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sid Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sid Town
      • Sid Town is located in Iosco County
    • Wilber
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilber have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
      • Wilber is located in Iosco County
  • Presque Isle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black River, with the one closest to Black River listed first.
    • Leroy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
      • Leroy is located in Presque Isle County
    • Bell ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Presque Isle County

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

Newspapers Published in Black River ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Black River.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Black River, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Black River.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Black River:

Cemeteries Near Black River ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Black River.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the east of Black River.
    • The Calvary Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Black River Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #219 <4>
  • Mt. Joy Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Joy Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northeast of Alcona.
    • The Mt. Joy Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Alcona Cemetery
    • Haynes Twp. Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Joy Cemetery
  • Caledonia Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • 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 our Gazetteer entry for the Caledonia Twp. Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2290666 <4>
  • Sanborn Twp. Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanborn Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanborn Twp. Cemetery
  • St. Catherine's Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Catherine's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Catherine's Cemetery
  • Twin Lake Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Westlawn Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Westlawn Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Harrisville.
    • The Westlawn Cemetery has also been known as:
    • West Cemetery
    • West Lawn Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westlawn Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1950 <4>
  • St. Anne Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anne Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Anne Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Harrisville.
    • The St. Anne Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Annes Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anne Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1575 <4>
  • German Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Cemetery
  • Flowers Grave
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flowers Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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]<3> to the east of Spruce.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flowers Grave
  • Springport Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Hubbard Lake Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hubbard Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hubbard Lake Cemetery
  • Continue List   (29 more) ...
    • Maple Ridge Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Maple Ridge Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of Barton City.
      • The Maple Ridge Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Barton City Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Ridge Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1008 <4>
    • Mikado Twp. Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • St. Raphael Catholic Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the St. Raphael Catholic Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Raphael Catholic Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Mikado.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Raphael Catholic Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2308267 <4>

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Black River had a population of 525 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Alcona
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
    • Alcona is located in Alcona County
  • Ossineke
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Gustin
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gustin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gustin
    • Gustin is located in Alcona County
  • Hubbard Lake
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Greenbush
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Mikado
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Alpena
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Curran
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Bryant
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
    • Bryant is located in Alcona County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Oscoda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • Flanders
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
      • Flanders is located in Alpena County
    • Au Sable
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Au Sable
      • Au Sable is located in Iosco County
    • Bolton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bolton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
      • Bolton is located in Alpena County
    • Long Rapids
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 Black River. See our List of 1890's Communities around Black River.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Black River. 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>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>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- Black River) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Black River. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.8172, Longitude: -83.3034    
<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>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Greenbush and Harrisville. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<6>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.
<7>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 Black River, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024