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 Breckenridge (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 Breckenridge. 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 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 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.
Breckenridge is located in Gratiot 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 Gratiot County: Clinton, Ionia, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw & Shiawassee.
Below are the counties that are near Breckenridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Breckenridge:
- Gratiot County (The home county of Breckenridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Wheeler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- North Wheeler
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
- Saint Louis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Edgewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Sickles
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Sickles is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
- Alma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Ithaca
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- North Star
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- North Star is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
- North Star has also been known as:
- Northstar
- Elwell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Ashley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Pompeii
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Riverdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Fisherville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Fisherville is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
- Auburn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Amelith
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Amelith is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelith
- Willard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Willard is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
- Duel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Duel is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
- Seidlers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Seidlers is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
- Frankenlust
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Frankenlust is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenlust
- Brooks ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Brooks is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
- Salzburg ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Salzburg is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Eureka
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Eureka is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Elsie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Maple Rapids
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Rapids is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Duplain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Duplain is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplain
- Shepardsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Shepardsville is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepardsville
- Ovid
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Saint Johns
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Fowler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ionia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Hubbardston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Matherton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Matherton is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherton
- Isabella County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Coe
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coe is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coe
- Shepherd
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Summerton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Summerton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
- Alembic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Alembic is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
- Crawford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Strickland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Strickland is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
- Mount Pleasant
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Winn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Winn is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Rosebush
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Loomis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Loomis is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
- Beal City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Beal City is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
- Lake Isabella
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- 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
- Midland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Redstone
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Redstone is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Porter
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Ryan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ryan is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
- Oil City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Oil City is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Sanford
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Averill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Averill is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
- Midland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- North Bradley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- North Bradley is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
- Alamando
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Alamando is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
- Coleman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Edenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Edenville is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
- Montcalm County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Vestaburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Vestaburg is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestaburg
- Carson City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Crystal
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
- Butternut
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Butternut is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butternut
- Vickeryville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vickeryville is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vickeryville
- Edmore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- McBride
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wyman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wyman is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
- Saginaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Merrill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lakefield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lakefield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
- Iva
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Iva is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
- Hemlock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Nelson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Nelson is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Orr
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Orr is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Brant
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Garfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Garfield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Fenmore
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fenmore is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenmore
- Dice
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Dice is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dice
- Frost
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Frost is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
- Saint Charles
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Freeland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Shiawassee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Henderson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Burton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Burton is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Smith Crossing
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Smith Crossing is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Crossing
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Breckenridge, see our County-by-County Page for Breckenridge.
Cemeteries Near Breckenridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Breckenridge.
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 Breckenridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Breckenridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Rose Lawn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Wheeler Twp. Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Beebe Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jasper Twp. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bethany Indian Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lakefield Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield Twp. Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Lakefield Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the south of Merrill.
- The Lakefield Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lakefield Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #879 <2>
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bailey Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hamilton Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lafayette Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (222 more) ...
- Riverside Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Brady Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Porter Twp. Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Breckenridge had a population of 475 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Breckenridge had a population of 1,265 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Breckenridge, with the one closest to Breckenridge listed first.
- Wheeler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Rathbone
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rathbone is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbone
- Beebe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Beebe is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe
- Saint Louis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Galloway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Galloway is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
- Merrill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Porter
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Edgewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Pleasant Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Alma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sickles
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Sickles is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
- Ithaca
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Forest Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- North Star
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- North Star is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
- North Star has also been known as:
- Northstar
- Saint Elmo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Saint Elmo is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Breckenridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Breckenridge.
Newspapers Published in Breckenridge ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Breckenridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Breckenridge, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Breckenridge.
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 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 Breckenridge:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Gratiot County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bay County
- Clinton County
- Ionia County
- Isabella County
- Midland County
- Montcalm County
- Saginaw County
- Shiawassee 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> | 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> | 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- Breckenridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Breckenridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |