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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 Buena Vista (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 Buena Vista. 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.

Buena Vista is located in Saginaw 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 Saginaw County: Bay, Clinton, Genesee, Gratiot, Midland, Shiawassee & Tuscola.

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

  • Saginaw County     (The home county of Buena Vista)
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Brooks ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
      • Brooks is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brooks
      • From Buena Vista to Brooks
    • Frankenlust
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Munger
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munger
      • Munger is located in Bay County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munger <1>
    • Amelith
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Salzburg ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Salzburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
      • Salzburg is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Salzburg
      • From Buena Vista to Salzburg
    • Bay City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Wenona ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wenona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
      • Wenona is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wenona
      • From Buena Vista to Wenona
    • West Bay City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Bay City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bay City
      • West Bay City is located in Bay County
      • West Bay City has also been known as:
      • West Bank City
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Bay City
      • From Buena Vista to West Bay City
    • Banks ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Banks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Banks is located in Bay County
      • Banks has also been known as:
      • Bangor
      • Bank City
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Banks
      • From Buena Vista to Banks
    • Essexville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Essexville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essexville
      • Essexville is located in Bay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Essexville <1>
    • Wenona Beach ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Auburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Montrose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Clio
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clio. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
      • Clio is located in Genesee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clio <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clio
      • From Buena Vista to Clio
    • Farrandville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Morris
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Flushing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flushing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flushing
      • Flushing is located in Genesee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,840 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flushing <1>
    • Beecher
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beecher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher
      • Beecher is located in Genesee County
    • Genesee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genesee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
      • Genesee is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Genesee <1>
    • Otisville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otisville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisville
      • Otisville is located in Genesee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 824 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otisville <1>
    • Russellville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Flint
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Gratiot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • North Wheeler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
      • North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
    • Wheeler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
    • Edgewood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edgewood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Edgewood
      • From Buena Vista to Edgewood
    • Breckenridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Breckenridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckenridge
      • Breckenridge is located in Gratiot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Breckenridge <1>
    • Sickles
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Lapeer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Otter Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Lake
      • Otter Lake is located in Lapeer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otter Lake <1>
    • Columbiaville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • Midland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ryan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ryan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
      • Ryan is located in Midland County
    • Averill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Averill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Averill
      • From Buena Vista to Averill
    • Redstone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Sanford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Porter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Shiawassee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista listed first.
    • New Lothrop
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Lothrop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lothrop
      • New Lothrop is located in Shiawassee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Lothrop <1>
    • Juddville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henderson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
      • Henderson is located in Shiawassee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henderson <1>
    • Lennon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lennon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lennon
      • Lennon is located in Shiawassee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 479 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lennon <1>
  • Tuscola County

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

Cemeteries Near Buena Vista ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Buena Vista.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Buena Vista, with the one closest to Buena Vista 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Buena Vista had a population of 60 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Carrollton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Saginaw
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Zilwaukee city
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zilwaukee city. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zilwaukee city
    • Zilwaukee city is located in Saginaw County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Zilwaukee city
    • From Buena Vista to Zilwaukee city
  • Crow Island ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crow Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Island
    • Crow Island is located in Saginaw County
  • Bridgeport
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Paines
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Paines. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paines
    • Paines is located in Saginaw County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Paines
    • From Buena Vista to Paines
  • Melbourne ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melbourne. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbourne
    • Melbourne is located in Saginaw County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Melbourne
    • From Buena Vista to Melbourne
  • Fosters
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fosters have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosters
    • Fosters is located in Saginaw County
  • Swan Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Frankenlust
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Munger
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munger
    • Munger is located in Bay County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munger <1>
  • Brooks ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
    • Brooks is located in Bay County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Brooks
    • From Buena Vista to Brooks
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Frankenmuth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Reese
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reese have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
      • Reese is located in Saginaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,366 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reese <1>
    • Salzburg ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Salzburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
      • Salzburg is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Salzburg
      • From Buena Vista to Salzburg

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

Newspapers Published in Buena Vista ...

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 142 newspapers that have been published in the area around Buena Vista.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Buena Vista, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Buena Vista.

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 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 Buena Vista:

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

The official website for Saginaw County: www.saginawcounty.com/

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>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.
<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 Buena Vista, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Buena Vista) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Buena Vista. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4219, Longitude: -83.9019       In this case, the coordinates for Buena Vista have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025