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 Blanchard (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 Blanchard. 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.
Blanchard is located in Isabella 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 Isabella County: Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm & Osceola.
Below are the counties that are near Blanchard. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blanchard:
- Isabella County (The home county of Blanchard)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Winn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Winn is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Lake Isabella
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Isabella is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Isabella
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,688 people
- Lake Isabella has also been known as:
- Lake Isabella village
- Strickland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Strickland is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
- Weidman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beal City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Beal City is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
- Crawford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Crawford is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Sherman City ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Sherman City is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman City
- Mount Pleasant
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Brinton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Brinton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
- Summerton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Summerton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
- Shepherd
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Jordan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jordan is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Rosebush
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clare County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lake is located in Clare County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
- Former name for Lake:
- Lake Station
- Farwell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clare
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Dover
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dover is located in Clare County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Hatton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hatton is located in Clare County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
- Gratiot County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Riverdale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Elm Hall
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elm Hall is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Hall
- Elwell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sumner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sumner is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
- Forest Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Alma
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Louis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ithaca
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Middleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Perrinton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Perrinton is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 391 people
- Ionia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Palo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Palo is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo
- Shiloh
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Shiloh is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Belding
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Woods Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Woods Corners is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Corners
- Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Sand Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Harvard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Harvard is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard
- Sheffield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sheffield is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield
- Mecosta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Millbrook
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Remus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Halls Corner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Halls Corner is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Corner
- Mecosta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Canadian Lakes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Canadian Lakes is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadian Lakes
- Rustford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Rustford is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustford
- Barryton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Rodney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Chippewa Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Borland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Borland is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borland
- Morley
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Stanwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Big Rapids
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Midland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Oil City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Oil City is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Coleman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Porter
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Redstone
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Redstone is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Montcalm County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Wyman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wyman is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
- Edmore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Six Lakes
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
- McBride
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Lakeview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Entrican
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Entrican is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Entrican
- Vestaburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vestaburg is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestaburg
- Stanton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Langston
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Langston is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
- Amble
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Amble is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amble
- Sidney
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Coral
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Newaygo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Croton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Croton is located in Newaygo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
- Riverview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Riverview is located in Newaygo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Osceola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Orient
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Orient is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orient
- Chippewa Station ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Chippewa Station is located in Osceola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Station
- Sears
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Evart
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hersey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blanchard, see our County-by-County Page for Blanchard.
Cemeteries Near Blanchard ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blanchard.
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 Blanchard - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blanchard covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Blanchard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Decker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Norman - Cummings Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pine River Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rolland Twp. Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Roberts Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wamboldt Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Broomfield #1 Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Broomfield Twp. Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hillcrest Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Morton Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (211 more) ...
- Home Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Zion Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- St. Michael Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Blanchard had a population of 219 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blanchard, with the one closest to Blanchard listed first.
- Millbrook
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Wyman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wyman is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
- Remus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Six Lakes
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Edmore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sylvester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Sylvester is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvester
- Cedar Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
- Mecosta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lakeview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Westville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Westville is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- McBride
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Horr
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Horr is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horr
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Altona
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Altona is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altona
- Entrican
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Entrican is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Entrican
- Strickland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Strickland is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blanchard. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blanchard.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Blanchard ...
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 192 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blanchard.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Blanchard. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Blanchard and those printed in the larger area surrounding Blanchard.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Blanchard.
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 Blanchard:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Isabella County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clare County
- Gratiot County
- Ionia County
- Kent County
- Mecosta County
- Midland County
- Montcalm County
- Newaygo County
- Osceola 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> | 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 Blanchard, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Blanchard) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |