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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 Gera (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 Gera. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Gera is located in Saginaw 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 Saginaw County: Bay, Clinton, Genesee, Gratiot, Midland, Shiawassee & Tuscola.

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

  • Saginaw County     (The home county of Gera)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • Blumfield Corners
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Blumfield Corners is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blumfield Corners
    • Frankenmuth
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Reese
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Reese is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,366 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reese <1>
    • Bridgeport
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Buena Vista
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Buena Vista is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Birch Run
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Carrollton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Carrollton is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
    • Crow Island ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Crow Island is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Island
    • Saginaw
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Saginaw is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,823 people
      • Former names for Saginaw:
      • East Saginaw
      • Saginaw City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saginaw <1>
    • Zilwaukee city
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Zilwaukee city is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zilwaukee city
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
    • Melbourne ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Melbourne is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbourne
    • Taymouth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Taymouth is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taymouth
    • Burt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • Munger
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Brooks ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Brooks is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
    • Frankenlust
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Frankenlust is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenlust
    • Essexville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Amelith
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Amelith is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelith
    • Bay City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Salzburg ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Salzburg is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
    • West Bay City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • West Bay City is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bay City
      • West Bay City has also been known as:
      • West Bank City
    • Banks ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Banks is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Banks has also been known as:
      • Bangor
      • Bank City
    • Wenona ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Wenona is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
    • Wenona Beach ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Wenona Beach is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona Beach
    • Kawkawlin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Auburn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • Farrandville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Farrandville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrandville
    • Clio
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Clio is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clio <1>
    • Montrose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Morris
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Otisville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Genesee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Beecher
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Beecher is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beecher
    • Brent Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Brent Creek is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent Creek
    • Flushing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Russellville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Russellville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
    • Flint
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Flint is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94,968 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flint <1>
    • Davison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Burton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Huron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • Sebewaing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Bach is located in Huron County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bach
  • Lapeer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • Otter Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Columbiaville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Silverwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Barnes Lake - Millers Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Clifford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Clifford is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
    • North Branch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Five Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Five Lakes is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Lakes
  • Midland County
    • Midland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Shiawassee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • New Lothrop
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Juddville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Juddville is located in Shiawassee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juddville
    • Lennon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Henderson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Tuscola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gera, with the one closest to Gera listed first.
    • Richville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Denmark Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Denmark Junction is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark Junction
    • Tuscola
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Vassar
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Gilford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Gilford is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilford
    • Watrousville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Watrousville is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watrousville
    • Millington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairgrove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Juniata
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Juniata is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata
    • Wahjamega
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Wahjamega is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahjamega
    • Akron
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Caro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Caro is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,993 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caro <1>
    • Mayville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Gera ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gera.

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 Gera - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Gera in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gera.

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

  • Frankenmuth
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Richville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Denmark Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Denmark Junction is located in Tuscola County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark Junction
  • Tuscola
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Reese
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Reese is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,366 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reese <1>
  • Bridgeport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Vassar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Buena Vista
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Buena Vista is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
  • Munger
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Birch Run
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Gilford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gilford is located in Tuscola County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilford
  • Fosters
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Fosters is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosters
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Crow Island ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Crow Island is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Island
    • Carrollton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Carrollton is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
    • Saginaw
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Saginaw is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,823 people
      • Former names for Saginaw:
      • East Saginaw
      • Saginaw City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saginaw <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Gera ...

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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gera.

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

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 Gera:

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 Gera, 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 from Point A (ie- Gera) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.