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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 Farwell (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 Farwell. 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.

A Few Details for Farwell ...

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

  • The naming (or the toponymy) of Farwell: Named after Samuel Farwell, an early resident who advocated construction of the railroad through Farwell.
  • Farwell was established in 1870.
  • It was incorporated in 1879.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Farwell is located in Clare 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 Clare County: Gladwin, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Missaukee & Roscommon.

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

  • Clare County     (The home county of Farwell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Clare
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hatton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
      • Hatton is located in Clare County
    • Dover
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Clare County
    • Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
      • Lake is located in Clare County
      • Former name for Lake:
      • Lake Station
    • Lake George
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
      • Lake George is located in Clare County
    • Allendale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
      • Allendale is located in Clare County
    • Harrison
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Meredith
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
      • Meredith is located in Clare County
  • Gladwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Beaverton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Gladwin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • White Star
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Star
      • White Star is located in Gladwin County
    • Wooden Shoe Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooden Shoe Village
      • Wooden Shoe Village is located in Gladwin County
    • Highwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
      • Highwood is located in Gladwin County
    • Sugar Rapids
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Rapids
      • Sugar Rapids is located in Gladwin County
  • Gratiot County
    • Forest Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
      • Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Vernon City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon City
      • Vernon City is located in Isabella County
    • Brinton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
      • Brinton is located in Isabella County
    • Loomis
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
      • Loomis is located in Isabella County
    • Rosebush
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Beal City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beal City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
      • Beal City is located in Isabella County
    • Weidman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weidman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weidman
      • Weidman is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weidman <1>
    • Sherman City ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman City
      • Sherman City is located in Isabella County
    • Jordan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
    • Lake Isabella
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Isabella
      • Lake Isabella is located in Isabella County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,688 people
      • Lake Isabella has also been known as:
      • Lake Isabella village
    • Mount Pleasant
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Alembic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
      • Alembic is located in Isabella County
    • Crawford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
      • Crawford is located in Isabella County
  • Mecosta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Barryton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barryton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barryton
      • Barryton is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barryton <1>
    • Remus
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Millbrook
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
      • Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
    • Chippewa Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Mecosta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mecosta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecosta
      • Mecosta is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mecosta <1>
    • Pogy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pogy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogy
      • Pogy is located in Mecosta County
    • Rodney
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Rodney is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodney <1>
    • Halls Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Corner
      • Halls Corner is located in Mecosta County
    • Canadian Lakes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadian Lakes
      • Canadian Lakes is located in Mecosta County
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Coleman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Oil City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Midland County
    • Edenville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
      • Edenville is located in Midland County
    • Hope
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
      • Hope is located in Midland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hope <1>
    • Sanford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Averill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Averill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
      • Averill is located in Midland County
    • Porter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
      • Porter is located in Midland County
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Falmouth
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
      • Falmouth is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <1>
    • McBain
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McBain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBain
      • McBain is located in Missaukee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McBain <1>
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Wyman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
      • Wyman is located in Montcalm County
    • Cedar Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
      • Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
    • Edmore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Vestaburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestaburg
      • Vestaburg is located in Montcalm County
  • Osceola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Farwell, with the one closest to Farwell listed first.
    • Sears
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
      • Sears is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sears <1>
    • Evart
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
      • Evart is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <1>
    • Avondale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avondale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
      • Avondale is located in Osceola County
    • Marion
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Park Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Lake
      • Park Lake is located in Osceola County
    • Hersey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hersey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
      • Hersey is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hersey <1>
    • Dighton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dighton
      • Dighton is located in Osceola County
    • Highland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
      • Highland is located in Osceola County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Farwell ...

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 77 newspapers that have been published in the area around Farwell.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Farwell. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Farwell and those printed in the larger area surrounding Farwell.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Farwell.

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 Farwell:

Cemeteries Near Farwell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Farwell.

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

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

  • Surrey Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Surrey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Surrey Cemetery
  • Gilmore Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilmore Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilmore Cemetery
  • Cherry Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • St. Cecilia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Old Township Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Township Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Township Cemetery
  • North Brinton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Vernon Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vernon Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vernon Twp. Cemetery
  • Hatton Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Garfield Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garfield Cemetery
  • Garfield Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Conley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Conley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Conley Cemetery
  • Redman Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Redman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redman Cemetery
  • Continue List   (162 more) ...
    • St. Henrys Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Henrys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Henrys Cemetery
    • Thompson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
    • Wood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wood Cemetery

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 Farwell had a population of 584 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Farwell had a population of 870 people.

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

  • Clare
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Dover
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Dover is located in Clare County
  • Hatton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
    • Hatton is located in Clare County
  • Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
    • Lake is located in Clare County
    • Former name for Lake:
    • Lake Station
  • Brinton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinton
    • Brinton is located in Isabella County
  • Lake George
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
    • Lake George is located in Clare County
  • Loomis
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
    • Loomis is located in Isabella County
  • Sherman City ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman City
    • Sherman City is located in Isabella County
  • Horr
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horr have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horr
    • Horr is located in Isabella County
  • Leaton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leaton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaton
    • Leaton is located in Isabella County
  • Delwin
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delwin
    • Delwin is located in Isabella County
  • Wise
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wise
    • Wise is located in Isabella County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Harrison
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Jordan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
    • Coleman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)

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

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

The official website for Clare County: www.clareco.net/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Farwell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Farwell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.8349, Longitude: -84.8654    
<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 Farwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024