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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 East Tawas (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 East Tawas. 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 East Tawas ...

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 East Tawas: E. Tawas

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.

A Few Details for East Tawas ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • East Tawas was established in 1862.
  • It was incorporated circa 1895.

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 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.

East Tawas is located in Iosco 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 Iosco County: Alcona, Arenac, Ogemaw & Oscoda.

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

  • Iosco County     (The home county of East Tawas)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Tawas, with the one closest to East Tawas listed first.
    • Tawas City
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Wilber
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
      • Wilber is located in Iosco County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilber
      • From East Tawas to Wilber
    • White Rock ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Foote Site Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foote Site Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foote Site Village
      • Foote Site Village is located in Iosco County
    • Au Sable
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oscoda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oscoda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscoda
      • Oscoda is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oscoda <1>
    • Sid Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sid Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sid Town
      • Sid Town is located in Iosco County
    • National City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for National City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for National City
      • National City is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for National City <1>
    • Whittemore
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whittemore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
      • Whittemore is located in Iosco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whittemore <1>
    • Lincoln Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Long Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Alcona County
  • Arenac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Tawas, with the one closest to East Tawas listed first.
    • Harmon City Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmon City Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon City Heights
      • Harmon City Heights is located in Arenac County
    • Turner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Turner is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Au Gres
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Twining
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twining have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twining
      • Twining is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Maple Ridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Omer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
      • Omer is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Arenac
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arenac. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
      • Arenac is located in Arenac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Arenac
      • From East Tawas to Arenac
    • Melita
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melita. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
      • Melita is located in Arenac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Melita
      • From East Tawas to Melita
    • Pine River
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Huron County
  • Ogemaw County

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

Cemeteries Near East Tawas ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of East Tawas.

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 East Tawas covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • American Legion Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the American Legion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the American Legion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Heart of Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Heart of Mary's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Memory Gardens Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Poor Farm Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Poor Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Poor Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laidlaw Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laidlaw Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laidlaw Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilber Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilber Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alabaster Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alabaster Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alabaster Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Top Rest Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Top Rest Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Top Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (50 more) ...
    • Pioneer Plains Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Plains Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Au Sable Twp. Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Au Sable Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Au Sable Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that East Tawas had a population of 2,226 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, East Tawas had a population of 2,721 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of East Tawas ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Tawas.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 East Tawas:

The official website for East Tawas: www.easttawas.com/

The official website for Iosco County: www.iosco.m33access.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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 East Tawas, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- East Tawas) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in East Tawas. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.2832, Longitude: -83.4902    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025