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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Clam Lake. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Clam Lake to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Clam Lake, please Contact Us.

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 Clam 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 Clam 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 Clam 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 Clam Lake: Clam 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Clam Lake is historic, it would have been located within present day Antrim 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 Antrim County: Charlevoix, Crawford, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska & Otsego.

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

  • Antrim County     (The home county of Clam Lake)
  • Charlevoix County
  • Crawford County
  • Grand Traverse County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clam Lake, with the one closest to Clam Lake listed first.
    • Angel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tunk ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tunk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunk
      • Tunk is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tunk
      • From Clam Lake to Tunk
    • Old Mission
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Mabel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Mapleton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Williamsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
      • Williamsburg is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Williamsburg has also been known as:
      • Williamburg
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsburg <2>
    • Acme
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Acme have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acme
      • Acme is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Acme <2>
    • Devils Elbow
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Traverse City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Kingsley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsley
      • Kingsley is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,618 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingsley <2>
    • Grawn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grawn have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grawn
      • Grawn is located in Grand Traverse County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grawn <2>
  • Kalkaska County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clam Lake, with the one closest to Clam Lake listed first.
    • Rapid City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapid City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapid City
      • Rapid City is located in Kalkaska County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rapid City <2>
    • Torch River
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Torch River have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch River
      • Torch River is located in Kalkaska County
    • Westwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
      • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Westwood
      • From Clam Lake to Westwood
    • Barker Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Kalkaska
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalkaska have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalkaska
      • Kalkaska is located in Kalkaska County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,083 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalkaska <2>
    • Lodi
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • South Boardman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Sigma
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sigma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigma
      • Sigma is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sigma
      • From Clam Lake to Sigma
    • Spencer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spencer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Spencer
      • From Clam Lake to Spencer
    • Angling
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Angling. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angling
      • Angling is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Angling
      • From Clam Lake to Angling
    • Deibert
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Fife Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fife Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fife Lake
      • Fife Lake is located in Kalkaska County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fife Lake <2>
  • Leelanau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clam Lake, with the one closest to Clam Lake listed first.
    • Omena
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Manseau ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manseau. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manseau
      • Manseau is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Manseau
      • From Clam Lake to Manseau
    • Peshawbestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Suttons Bay
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Suttons Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suttons Bay
      • Suttons Bay is located in Leelanau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 617 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Suttons Bay <2>
    • Bingham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bingham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham
      • Bingham is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bingham
      • From Clam Lake to Bingham
    • Northport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Greilickville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greilickville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greilickville
      • Greilickville is located in Leelanau County
    • Lake Leelanau
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Onominee ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Onominee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onominee
      • Onominee is located in Leelanau County
      • Onominee has also been known as:
      • Onominese
      • Onomonese
      • Onuminee
      • Onumunese
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Onominee
      • From Clam Lake to Onominee
    • Bodus
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bodus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bodus
      • Bodus is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bodus
      • From Clam Lake to Bodus
    • Isadore ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Isadore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isadore
      • Isadore is located in Leelanau County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Isadore
      • From Clam Lake to Isadore
    • Leland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Otsego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clam Lake, with the one closest to Clam Lake listed first.
    • Elmira
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmira have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
      • Elmira is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elmira <2>
    • Hallock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hallock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallock
      • Hallock is located in Otsego County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hallock
      • From Clam Lake to Hallock
    • Waters
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Arbutus Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Pearll City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearll City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearll City
      • Pearll City is located in Otsego County
    • Gaylord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Berryville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berryville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
      • Berryville is located in Otsego County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berryville
      • From Clam Lake to Berryville

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

Cemeteries Near Clam Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clam 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 Clam Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Helena Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Eldred Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • South Milton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Milton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Milton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chapman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chapman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chapman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kewadin Indian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kewadin Indian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kewadin Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Westwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Flewelling Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flewelling Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flewelling Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Russell Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clearwater Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clearwater Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clearwater Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (139 more) ...
    • Bryden Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bryden Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bryden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Southern Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Southern Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Southern Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Anthony's Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anthony's Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anthony's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> 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.

Clam Lake itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bellaire
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Kewadin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Snowflake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snowflake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowflake
    • Snowflake is located in Antrim County
  • Elk Rapids
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Creswell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Creswell have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
    • Creswell is located in Antrim County
  • Westwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Westwood
    • From Clam Lake to Westwood
  • Antrim
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antrim have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antrim
    • Antrim is located in Antrim County
  • Central Lake
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Lake
    • Central Lake is located in Antrim County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 942 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central Lake <2>
  • Barker Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Mancelona
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mancelona have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mancelona
    • Mancelona is located in Antrim County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,375 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mancelona <2>
  • Torch Lake
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Torch Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torch Lake
    • Torch Lake is located in Antrim County
  • Finkton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Leetsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leetsville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leetsville
      • Leetsville is located in Kalkaska County
    • Wetzel ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wetzel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wetzel
      • Wetzel is located in Antrim County
      • Wetzel has also been known as:
      • Wetzell
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wetzel
      • From Clam Lake to Wetzel
    • Old Mission
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Clam 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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clam Lake.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Clam Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Clam Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Clam Lake.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6> of Clam Lake.

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 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 Clam Lake:

The official website for Antrim County: www.antrimcounty.org/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Clam Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 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.
<5>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.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Clam Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Clam Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.9335, Longitude: -85.2631    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025