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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 (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. 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.

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

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

  • Osceola County     (The home county of Chippewa)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Chippewa Station ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Chippewa Station is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Station
    • Orient
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Orient is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orient
    • Sears
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Evart
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Evart is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <1>
    • Gormer ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Gormer is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gormer
    • Avondale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Avondale is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Hartwick ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartwick is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwick
    • Marion
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Hersey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Dighton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Dighton is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dighton
    • Park Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Park Lake is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Lake
    • Highland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Highland is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
  • Clare County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Lake is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
      • Former name for Lake:
      • Lake Station
    • Lake George
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake George is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
    • Farwell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Hatton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Hatton is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
    • Clare
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Dover
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Dover is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Allendale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Allendale is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
    • Harrison
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Meredith
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Meredith is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Brinton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Brinton is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
    • Sherman City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Sherman City is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman City
    • Weidman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Vernon City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Vernon City is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon City
    • Lake Isabella
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Beal City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Beal City is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
    • Rosebush
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Loomis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Loomis is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
    • Blanchard
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Jordan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Mount Pleasant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Winn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Winn is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Chase
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bristol
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bristol is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Luther
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Nirvana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Nirvana is located in Lake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nirvana
  • Mecosta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Barryton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Pogy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Pogy is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogy
    • Chippewa Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Rodney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mecosta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Remus
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Paris
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Millbrook
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
    • Big Rapids
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Canadian Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Canadian Lakes is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadian Lakes
    • Halls Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Halls Corner is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Corner
    • Stanwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Coleman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Alamando
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Alamando is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Vogel Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Vogel Center is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vogel Center
    • McBain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Stoney Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Stoney Corner is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Corner
      • Stoney Corner has also been known as:
      • Stoney Corners
    • Lucas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Lucas is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucas
    • Falmouth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Montcalm County
    • Wyman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Wyman is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
  • Newaygo County
    • Hawkins
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Hawkins is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkins
  • Wexford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chippewa, with the one closest to Chippewa listed first.
    • Benson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Benson is located in Wexford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
    • Cadillac
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Chippewa ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chippewa.

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 Chippewa - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chippewa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Orient Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Garfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Garfield Twp. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield Twp. Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Garfield Twp. Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Lake.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #303374 <2>
  • Osceola County Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Sylvan Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Fork Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • North Brinton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Freeman Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • South Evart Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (181 more) ...
    • Church Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sparks Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Flake Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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.<3>

While we didn't find Chippewa in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chippewa.

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

  • Chippewa Station ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Chippewa Station is located in Osceola County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Station
  • Sears
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lake
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Lake is located in Clare County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
    • Former name for Lake:
    • Lake Station
  • Evart
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Evart is located in Osceola County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <1>
  • Brinton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Brinton is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
  • Lake George
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake George is located in Clare County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
  • Sherman City ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sherman City is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman City
  • Avondale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Avondale is located in Osceola County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
  • Temple
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Temple is located in Clare County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
  • Farwell
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Chippewa Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Horr
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Horr is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horr
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hatton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Hatton is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
    • Hartwick ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Hartwick is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwick
    • Marion
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Chippewa ...

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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chippewa.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chippewa, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chippewa.

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 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 Chippewa:

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>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, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.