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 Elba (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 Elba. 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 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.
Elba is located in Lapeer 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 Lapeer County: Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, Saint Clair, Sanilac & Tuscola.
Below are the counties that are near Elba. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Elba:
- Lapeer County (The home county of Elba)
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Lapeer
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hadley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Columbiaville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hunters Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hunters Creek is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
- Metamora
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Otter Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Barnes Lake - Millers Lake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Five Lakes
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Five Lakes is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Lakes
- Attica
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lum
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Lum is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lum
- Kings Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kings Mill is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Mill
- Dryden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Genesee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Davison
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Russellville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Russellville is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Goodrich
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Atlas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Atlas is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
- Otisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Genesee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Burton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Grand Blanc
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flint
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Beecher
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Beecher is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher
- Mount Morris
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Clio
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Tyrone
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Tyrone is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
- Hallers Corners
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hallers Corners is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallers Corners
- Parshallville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Parshallville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parshallville
- Deer Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Deer Creek is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek
- Hartland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Macomb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Miami ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Miami is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami
- Grays' Mills ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Grays' Mills is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grays' Mills
- Former names for Grays' Mills:
- Clifton Mill
- Clifton Village
- Clifton
- Thorington ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thorington is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorington
- Thorington has also been known as:
- Thorington Settlement
- Romeo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Crissmanville ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Crissmanville is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crissmanville
- Mount Vernon ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Vernon is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Armada Corners ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Armada Corners is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armada Corners
- Armada Corners has also been known as:
- Selleck's Corners
- Shelby ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shelby is located in Macomb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
- Shelby has also been known as:
- Shelby Crossing
- Shelby Station
- Washington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Ortonville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Oakwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Thomas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Thomas is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
- Perry Lake Heights
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Perry Lake Heights is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry Lake Heights
- Newark
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Newark is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Groveland Corners
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Groveland Corners is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveland Corners
- Austin Corners
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Austin Corners is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Corners
- Oxford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Five Points
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Five Points is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Jossman Acres
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Jossman Acres is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jossman Acres
- Leonard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Holly
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Saginaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Birch Run
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Frankenmuth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Taymouth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Taymouth is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taymouth
- Burt
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Layton Corners
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Layton Corners is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton Corners
- Blumfield Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Blumfield Corners is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blumfield Corners
- Saint Clair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Capac
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Allenton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Allenton is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
- Lesterville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lesterville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lesterville
- Berville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Berville is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berville
- Riley Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Riley Center is located in Saint Clair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley Center
- Sanilac County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Marlette
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Valley Center
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Valley Center is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Center
- Melvin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Melvin is located in Sanilac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
- Shiawassee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Lennon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Juddville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Juddville is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juddville
- New Lothrop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Durand
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Byron
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Vernon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tuscola County
- The following are listed by their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Fostoria
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Fostoria is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fostoria
- Millington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Juniata
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Juniata is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata
- Mayville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Tuscola
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Vassar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Wahjamega
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wahjamega is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahjamega
- Watrousville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Watrousville is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watrousville
- Kingston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Denmark Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Denmark Junction is located in Tuscola County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark Junction
- Richville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Elba, see our County-by-County Page for Elba.
Cemeteries Near Elba ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elba.
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 Elba - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Elba covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Elba Twp. Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Dawn Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Bentley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Davison Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Eastwood Colonial Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Green Corners Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dodge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodge Cemetery
- The Dodge Cemetery has also been known as:
- Flint River Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #523 <2>
- Clark Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Loretto Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Lapeer State Home Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (287 more) ...
- German Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sanborn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hadley Village Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Elba had a population of 91 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Elba, with the one closest to Elba listed first.
- Hadley
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lapeer
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Farmers Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Farmers Creek is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Creek
- Belsay
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Belsay is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belsay
- Atlas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Atlas is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlas
- Goodrich
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Hunters Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hunters Creek is located in Lapeer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Creek
- Columbiaville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Otisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rogersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rogersville is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogersville
- Metamora
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Genesee
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Grand Blanc
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ortonville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Oakwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood is located in Oakland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Elba. See our List of 1890's Communities around Elba.
Newspapers Published in Elba ...
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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elba.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elba, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elba.
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 either 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 Elba:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Lapeer County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Genesee County
- Livingston County
- Macomb County
- Oakland County
- Saginaw County
- Saint Clair County
- Sanilac County
- Shiawassee County
- Tuscola County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
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 Elba, 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- Elba) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |