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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 Chippewa Lake (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 Chippewa Lake. 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 Chippewa Lake ...

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 Chippewa Lake: Chippewa Lk.

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 hospitals and 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.

Chippewa Lake is located in Mecosta 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 Mecosta County: Clare, Isabella, Lake, Montcalm, Newaygo & Osceola.

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

  • Mecosta County     (The home county of Chippewa Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa Lake, with the one closest to Chippewa Lake listed first.
    • Pogy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pogy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogy
      • Pogy is located in Mecosta County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pogy
      • From Chippewa Lake to Pogy
    • Rodney
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Rodney is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodney <3>
    • Barryton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barryton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barryton
      • Barryton is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barryton <3>
    • Mecosta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mecosta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecosta
      • Mecosta is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mecosta <3>
    • Big Rapids
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rapids
      • Big Rapids is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,408 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Rapids <3>
    • Paris
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Canadian Lakes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Remus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Stanwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Halls Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Borland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Borland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borland
      • Borland is located in Mecosta County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Borland
      • From Chippewa Lake to Borland
    • Rustford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rustford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustford
      • Rustford is located in Mecosta County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rustford
      • From Chippewa Lake to Rustford
  • Clare County
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa Lake, with the one closest to Chippewa Lake listed first.
    • Sherman City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Brinton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Weidman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weidman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weidman
      • Weidman is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weidman <3>
    • Lake Isabella
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Blanchard
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanchard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard
      • Blanchard is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blanchard <3>
    • Beal City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beal City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
      • Beal City is located in Isabella County
    • Winn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
      • Winn is located in Isabella County
    • Rosebush
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Vernon City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon City
      • Vernon City is located in Isabella County
    • Mount Pleasant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Strickland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Crawford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lake County
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa Lake, with the one closest to Chippewa Lake listed first.
    • Lakeview
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Amble
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Six Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Wyman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Howard City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard City
      • Howard City is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,819 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howard City <3>
    • Coral
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Edmore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
      • Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
    • Langston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Langston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
      • Langston is located in Montcalm County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Langston
      • From Chippewa Lake to Langston
    • Trufant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trufant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trufant
      • Trufant is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trufant <3>
    • McBride
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McBride have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
      • McBride is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McBride <3>
    • Vestaburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Newaygo County
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa Lake, with the one closest to Chippewa Lake listed first.
    • Evart
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
      • Evart is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <3>
    • Hersey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hersey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
      • Hersey is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hersey <3>
    • Sears
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
      • Sears is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sears <3>
    • Reed City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Ashton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ashton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
      • Ashton is located in Osceola County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ashton
      • From Chippewa Lake to Ashton
    • Avondale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avondale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
      • Avondale is located in Osceola County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avondale
      • From Chippewa Lake to Avondale
    • Le Roy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Dighton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Marion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Tustin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tustin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tustin
      • Tustin is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tustin <3>
    • Highland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Park Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Chippewa Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chippewa Lake.

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

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

  • Chippewa Lake Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chippewa Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chippewa Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chippewa Twp. Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chippewa Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chippewa Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kirschner Farm Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kirschner Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kirschner Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eaton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eaton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eaton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sparks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sparks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Martiny Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martiny Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martiny Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grant Center #2 Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Center #2 Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Center #2 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grant Center #1 Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grant Center #1 Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grant Center #1 Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rodney Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rodney Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rodney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Grant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Grant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Grant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (186 more) ...
    • Brown Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • South Evart Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Evart Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Evart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Dye Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dye Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dye Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Chippewa Lake had a population of 391 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Rodney
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
    • Rodney is located in Mecosta County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodney <3>
  • Big Rapids
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rapids
    • Big Rapids is located in Mecosta County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,408 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Big Rapids <3>
  • Mecosta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mecosta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecosta
    • Mecosta is located in Mecosta County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mecosta <3>
  • Sherman City ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Evart
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
    • Evart is located in Osceola County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <3>
  • Hersey
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hersey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
    • Hersey is located in Osceola County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hersey <3>
  • Paris
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Sears
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
    • Sears is located in Osceola County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sears <3>
  • Remus
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Stanwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Horr
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horr have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horr
    • Horr is located in Isabella County
  • Altona
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altona
    • Altona is located in Mecosta County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Chippewa Lake ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chippewa Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chippewa Lake, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chippewa Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Chippewa Lake:

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

The official website for Mecosta County: www.co.mecosta.mi.us/

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>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 Chippewa Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chippewa Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Chippewa Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7446, Longitude: -85.2958    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025