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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 Deerfield Center (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 Deerfield Center. 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 Deerfield Center ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Deerfield Center: Deerfield Ctr. (or less commonly used: Deerfield Cen., Deerfield Cent. or Deerfield Cntr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Deerfield Center. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Deerfield Center.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Deerfield Center is located in Isabella 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 Isabella County: Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm & Osceola.

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

  • Isabella County     (The home county of Deerfield Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Beal City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Beal City is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
    • Lake Isabella
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Isabella is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Isabella
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,688 people
      • Lake Isabella has also been known as:
      • Lake Isabella village
    • Winn
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Winn is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
    • Weidman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Crawford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Crawford is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
    • Strickland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Strickland is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
    • Jordan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Rosebush
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Blanchard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Alembic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Alembic is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
    • Shepherd
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Brinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Brinton is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
  • Clare County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Farwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Clare
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Lake is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
      • Former name for Lake:
      • Lake Station
    • Dover
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Dover is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Hatton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Hatton is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
    • Lake George
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Lake George is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
    • Allendale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Allendale is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
    • Harrison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Gladwin County
    • Beaverton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Gratiot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Riverdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Forest Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
    • Elm Hall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Elm Hall is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Hall
    • Elwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Alma
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Alma is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Saint Louis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sumner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Sumner is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
    • North Wheeler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
    • Breckenridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ithaca
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Wheeler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Middleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • North Star
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • North Star is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
      • North Star has also been known as:
      • Northstar
  • Mecosta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Millbrook
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
    • Remus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Barryton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Halls Corner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Halls Corner is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Corner
    • Mecosta
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Canadian Lakes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Canadian Lakes is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadian Lakes
    • Chippewa Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rodney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Rustford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Rustford is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustford
    • Pogy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Pogy is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogy
    • Borland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Borland is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borland
    • Morley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Stanwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Oil City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Oil City is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
    • Coleman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Alamando
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Alamando is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
    • North Bradley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • North Bradley is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
    • Porter
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Porter is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Redstone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Redstone is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
    • Sanford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Averill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
    • Ryan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Ryan is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
    • Edenville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Edenville is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
    • Hope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Wyman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Wyman is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
    • Cedar Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
    • Vestaburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Vestaburg is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestaburg
    • Edmore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Six Lakes
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • McBride
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Entrican
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Entrican is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Entrican
    • Lakeview
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Stanton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Crystal
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Langston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Langston is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
    • Amble
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Amble is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amble
    • Sidney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Deerfield Center, with the one closest to Deerfield Center listed first.
    • Orient
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Orient is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orient
    • Chippewa Station ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Chippewa Station is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Station
    • Sears
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Evart
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>

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

Cemeteries Near Deerfield Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Deerfield Center.

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 Deerfield Center - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Coomer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Two Rivers Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Leo's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Zion Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Bennett Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Broomfield #1 Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Mission Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Broomfield Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (188 more) ...

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 Deerfield Center in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Deerfield Center.

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

  • Strickland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Strickland is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
  • Crawford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Crawford is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
  • Mount Pleasant
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Millbrook
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
  • Jordan
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jordan is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
  • Horr
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Horr is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horr
  • Blanchard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Wyman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wyman is located in Montcalm County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
  • Shepherd
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Alembic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Alembic is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
  • Leaton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Leaton is located in Isabella County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaton
  • Remus
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Summerton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Summerton is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
    • Brinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Brinton is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
    • Sherman City ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sherman City is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman City

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

Newspapers Published in Deerfield Center ...

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 158 newspapers that have been published in the area around Deerfield Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Deerfield Center, 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 Deerfield Center.

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 Deerfield Center:

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 Deerfield Center, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Deerfield Center) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.