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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 Hard Luck (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 Hard Luck. 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 Hard Luck ...

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 occur.

Hard Luck has also been known as: Hardluck.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Hard Luck is located in Gladwin 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 Gladwin County: Arenac, Bay, Clare, Isabella, Midland, Ogemaw & Roscommon.

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

  • Gladwin County     (The home county of Hard Luck)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • White Star
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • White Star is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Star
    • Wooden Shoe Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wooden Shoe Village is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooden Shoe Village
    • Sugar Rapids
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Sugar Rapids is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Rapids
    • Rhodes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Rhodes is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
    • Highwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Highwood is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
    • Butman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Butman is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butman
    • Gladwin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Beaverton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Arenac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Melita
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Melita is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
    • Sterling
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Standish
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Maple Ridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Maple Ridge is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
    • Omer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Omer is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Pine River
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Pine River is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine River
    • Arenac
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Arenac is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
    • Saganing
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Saganing is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saganing
    • Whites Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Whites Beach is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Beach
    • Twining
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Twining is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twining
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Turner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Turner is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Au Gres
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Bentley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Bentley is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
    • Mount Forest
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Mount Forest is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Forest
    • Nine Mile
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Nine Mile is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Mile
    • Woodville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodville is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Pinconning
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Duel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Duel is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
    • Linwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Seidlers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Seidlers is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
    • Willard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Willard is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Brissette Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Brissette Beach is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brissette Beach
  • Clare County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Meredith
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Meredith is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
    • Allendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Allendale is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allendale
    • Dover
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dover is located in Clare County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Harrison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Iosco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Whittemore
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • National City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Long Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • White Rock ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • White Rock is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
  • Isabella County
    • Loomis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Loomis is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Edenville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Edenville is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
    • Hope
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Alamando
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Alamando is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
    • North Bradley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • North Bradley is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
    • Averill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
    • Sanford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Coleman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Midland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Ogemaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Greenwood is located in Ogemaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Skidway Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • West Branch
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Prescott
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Campbells Corners
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Campbells Corners is located in Ogemaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbells Corners
    • Ogemaw Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Ogemaw Springs is located in Ogemaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogemaw Springs
    • Fayettes Corner ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Fayettes Corner is located in Ogemaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayettes Corner
    • Rose City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lupton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Damon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Damon is located in Ogemaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Damon
  • Roscommon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hard Luck, with the one closest to Hard Luck listed first.
    • Saint Helen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Prudenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Geels
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Geels is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geels

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

Cemeteries Near Hard Luck ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hard Luck.

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 Hard Luck - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Alger Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Bourret Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Second Lutheran Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Gibson Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Sterling Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. George Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Edwards Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • McClure Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • New Rhodes Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Rhodes Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Joseph's Polish National Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Plains Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (104 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 Hard Luck in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hard Luck.

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

  • Alger
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Greenwood is located in Ogemaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
  • Sterling
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Melita
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Melita is located in Arenac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
  • McClure
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • McClure is located in Gladwin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClure
  • Rhodes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Rhodes is located in Gladwin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
  • Mount Forest
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Mount Forest is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Forest
  • Standish
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Nine Mile
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Nine Mile is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Mile
  • Maple Ridge
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Maple Ridge is located in Arenac County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
  • Butman
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Butman is located in Gladwin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butman
  • West Branch
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Gladwin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Worth
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Worth is located in Arenac County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth
    • Prescott
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Hard Luck. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hard Luck.

Newspapers Published in Hard Luck ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hard Luck.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hard Luck, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hard Luck.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Hard Luck:

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