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 Jefferson (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 Jefferson. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Jefferson is located in Jackson 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 Jackson County: Calhoun, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Lenawee, Livingston & Washtenaw.
Below are the counties that are near Jefferson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Jefferson:
- Jackson County (The home county of Jefferson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Brooklyn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Clarklake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Napoleon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Liberty is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Norvell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Norvell is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norvell
- South Jackson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- South Jackson is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jackson
- Vandercook Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Vandercook Lake is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandercook Lake
- Michigan Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Leoni
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Leoni is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leoni
- Fishville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fishville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishville
- Grass Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32,374 people
- Former name for Jackson:
- Jacksonopolis
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jackson <1>
- Horton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Albion
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Homer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Marengo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Marengo is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marengo
- Hillsdale County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Somerset
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Somerset Center
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Somerset Center is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Center
- Jerome
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Moscow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Moscow is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- North Adams
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- North Adams is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Adams
- Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
- Locust Corners
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Locust Corners is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Corners
- Pittsford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mosherville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mosherville is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosherville
- Osseo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jonesville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lickly Corners
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lickly Corners is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickly Corners
- Prattville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Prattville is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prattville
- Ingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Fitchburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fitchburg is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitchburg
- Leslie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Stockbridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bunker Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bunker Hill is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- North Leslie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- North Leslie is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leslie
- Onondaga
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dansville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lenawee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Cement City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cambridge Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cambridge Junction is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Junction
- Devils Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Devils Lake is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Lake
- Addison Junction
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Addison Junction is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison Junction
- Onsted
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Addison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Manitou Beach - Devils Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Manitou Beach
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Rollin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Rollin is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollin
- Tipton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Clinton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Clinton is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,287 people
- Clayton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Clayton is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Hudson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Livingston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Kaiserville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kaiserville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaiserville
- Unadilla
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Unadilla is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unadilla
- Chalkerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chalkerville is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalkerville
- Chalkerville has also been known as:
- Chalkers Landing
- Gregory
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- 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>
- Plainfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Plainfield is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
- Anderson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson is located in Livingston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Pinckney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Monroe County
- Cone
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cone is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cone
- Washtenaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Sharon Hollow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sharon Hollow is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon Hollow
- Manchester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Rowes Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rowes Corner is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Corner
- Chelsea
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgewater
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Dexter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Saline
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hudson Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hudson Mills is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson Mills
- Delhi Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Delhi Mills is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi Mills
- Dover
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dover is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Pittsfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Pittsfield is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
- Pittsfield has also been known as:
- Pittsfield Village
- Ann Arbor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Barton Hills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Barton Hills is located in Washtenaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
- Fulton County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Denson ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Denson is located in Fulton County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denson
- Ritters ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ritters is located in Fulton County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritters
- Powers ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Powers is located in Fulton County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powers
- Powers has also been known as:
- Powers Station
- Fayette
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lyons
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Jefferson, see our County-by-County Page for Jefferson.
Cemeteries Near Jefferson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jefferson.
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 Jefferson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Jefferson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Jefferson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Peterson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cement City Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Brooklyn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Clark Lake Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Osborn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Briggs Lake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- East Liberty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Laurel Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Somerset Congregational Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Congregational Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Somerset Congregational Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Somerset.
- The Somerset Congregational Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Somerset Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1981005 <2>
- Chapman Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (395 more) ...
- Sanford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cambridge Junction Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gay Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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 Jefferson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Jefferson.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Jefferson, with the one closest to Jefferson listed first.
- Brooklyn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Napoleon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Liberty is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Norvell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Norvell is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norvell
- Somerset Center
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Somerset Center is located in Hillsdale County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Center
- Devils Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Devils Lake is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devils Lake
- South Jackson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- South Jackson is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jackson
- Michigan Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Addison Junction
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Addison Junction is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison Junction
- Onsted
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Springville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Springville is located in Lenawee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
- Addison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Manitou Beach
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Leoni
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Leoni is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leoni
- Jerome
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Jefferson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Jefferson.
Newspapers Published in Jefferson ...
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 149 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jefferson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Jefferson, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Jefferson.
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 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 Jefferson:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Jackson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Hillsdale County
- Ingham County
- Lenawee County
- Livingston County
- Monroe County
- Washtenaw County
- Fulton 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 Jefferson, 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- Jefferson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |