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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 Frain 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 Frain 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 Frain 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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Frain Lake: Frain 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 northwest 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 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.

Frain Lake is located in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County: Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Oakland & Wayne.

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

  • Washtenaw County     (The home county of Frain Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • Dixboro
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Dixboro is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixboro
    • Emery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Emery is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emery
    • Salem
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Salem is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Ypsilanti
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Ann Arbor
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Barton Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Barton Hills is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Rawsonville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Rawsonville is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawsonville
    • Pittsfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Pittsfield is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
      • Pittsfield has also been known as:
      • Pittsfield Village
    • Delhi Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Delhi Mills is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi Mills
    • Stony Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Stony Creek is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
    • Willis
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Dexter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Dexter is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,706 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dexter <1>
  • Ingham County
    • Stockbridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • Waterloo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Waterloo is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
    • Fishville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Fishville is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
    • Trist
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Trist is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trist
    • Grass Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Lenawee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • Macon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Macon is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macon
    • Clinton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Clinton is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,287 people
    • Britton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ridgeway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ridgeway is located in Lenawee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
    • Tecumseh
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • Whitmore Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Oak
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Green Oak is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Oak
    • Hamburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lakeland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Brighton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pettysville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Pettysville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettysville
    • Pinckney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Chubb's Corners ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Chubb's Corners is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chubb's Corners
    • Hell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Hell is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hell
      • Hell has also been known as:
      • Hi Land Lake
      • Highland Lake
      • Hiland Lake
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hell <1>
    • Chalkerville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Chalkerville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalkerville
      • Chalkerville has also been known as:
      • Chalkers Landing
    • Anderson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Anderson is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Kaiserville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Kaiserville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaiserville
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • Milan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Oakville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Oakville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
    • Azalia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Azalia is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalia
    • Cone
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Cone is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cone
    • Carleton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Maybee
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Scofield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Scofield is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scofield
    • Flat Rock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Grafton ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Grafton is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Dundee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Grape
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Grape is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grape
    • South Rockwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • South Lyon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Northville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Novi
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Novi is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Novi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 60,852 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Novi <1>
    • New Hudson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Wixom
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Wixom is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wixom
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,086 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wixom <1>
    • Farmington Acres
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Farmington Acres is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington Acres
    • Farmington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Quakertown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Quakertown is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quakertown
    • Walled Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Clarenceville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Clarenceville is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarenceville
    • Farmington Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Glengary
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Glengary is located in Oakland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glengary
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Frain Lake, with the one closest to Frain Lake listed first.
    • Canton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Plymouth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Sheldon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Sheldon is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheldon
    • Westland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Belleville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wayne
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Livonia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Elm
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Elm is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm
    • Eloise
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Eloise is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eloise
    • Garden City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Romulus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Inkster
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Frain Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Frain 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.

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 Frain Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Pray Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • United Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for United Memorial Gardens
    • The United Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
    • Booker T. Washington Memorial Park
    • Mt. Vernon Memorial Park
  • Free Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Botsford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Laraway Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Worden Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Cherry Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Knollwood Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Kinyon Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (404 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 Frain Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Frain Lake.

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

  • Dixboro
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dixboro is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixboro
  • Emery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Emery is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emery
  • Worden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Worden is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worden
  • Geddes
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Geddes is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geddes
  • Ypsilanti
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Salem
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Salem is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
  • Denton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Denton is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denton
  • Canton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Ann Arbor
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Rawsonville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rawsonville is located in Washtenaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawsonville
  • Plymouth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • South Lyon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Pittsfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Pittsfield is located in Washtenaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
      • Pittsfield has also been known as:
      • Pittsfield Village
    • Rushton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rushton is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushton
    • Northville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Frain 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 226 newspapers that have been published in the area around Frain Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Frain Lake, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Frain Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Frain Lake:

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 Frain Lake, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Frain Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.