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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 Duck 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 Duck 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 Duck 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 Duck Lake: Duck 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 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.

Duck Lake is located in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County: Barry, Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo & Saint Joseph.

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

  • Calhoun County     (The home county of Duck Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Rice Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Marengo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Albion
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Marshall
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
      • Marshall is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,923 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marshall <1>
    • Ceresco
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ceresco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceresco
      • Ceresco is located in Calhoun County
    • Pennfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Homer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Brownlee Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownlee Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
    • Verona Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Beadle Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Battle Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bedford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <1>
  • Barry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Maple Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Nashville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nashville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
      • Nashville is located in Barry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,696 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nashville <1>
    • Morgan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morgan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
      • Morgan is located in Barry County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Morgan
      • From Duck Lake to Morgan
    • Dowling
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Banfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Woodland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Hickory Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Branch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Girard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Union City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hodunk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hodunk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodunk
      • Hodunk is located in Branch County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hodunk
      • From Duck Lake to Hodunk
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Eagle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Clinton Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton Village
      • Clinton Village is located in Clinton County
  • Eaton County
  • Hillsdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Litchfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
      • Litchfield is located in Hillsdale County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,328 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <1>
    • Mosherville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mosherville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosherville
      • Mosherville is located in Hillsdale County
    • Moscow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jonesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
      • Jonesville is located in Hillsdale County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <1>
    • Allen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Allen is located in Hillsdale County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allen <1>
    • Jerome
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Hillsdale County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jerome <1>
    • Somerset Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Onondaga
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Leslie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • North Leslie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Leslie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leslie
      • North Leslie is located in Ingham County
    • Holt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in Ingham County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holt <1>
    • Mason
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Ingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,389 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <1>
    • Bunker Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Fitchburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Edgemont Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgemont Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgemont Park
      • Edgemont Park is located in Ingham County
    • Lansing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Dansville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • East Lansing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lansing
      • East Lansing is located in Ingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Lansing <1>
    • North Lansing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Jackson County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Duck Lake, with the one closest to Duck Lake listed first.
    • Augusta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Climax
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Duck Lake ...

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

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

  • Nichols Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Clarence Center Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarence Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clarence Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Clarence Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Clarence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Clarence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carrier Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carrier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carrier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sowles Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sowles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sowles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Partello Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Partello Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Partello Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Krenerick Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Krenerick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Krenerick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dyer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dyer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Springport Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springport Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springport Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lee Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rice Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pierson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pierson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pierson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (305 more) ...
    • Pierson Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pierson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pierson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Perry Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perry Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Reed Family Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reed Family Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reed Family 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Duck Lake had a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Duck 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 134 newspapers that have been published in the area around Duck Lake.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Duck Lake:

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

The official website for Calhoun County: www.calhoun-mi.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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Duck Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Duck Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3999, Longitude: -84.7828    
<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>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 Duck Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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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.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025