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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 Laporte (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 Laporte. 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 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.

Laporte is located in Midland 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 Midland County: Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella & Saginaw.

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

  • Midland County     (The home county of Laporte)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Midland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Ryan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Ryan is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
    • Averill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
    • Porter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Porter is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Redstone
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Redstone is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
    • Sanford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hope
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • North Bradley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • North Bradley is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
    • Oil City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Oil City is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
    • Alamando
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Alamando is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
    • Edenville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Edenville is located in Midland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
    • Coleman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Fisherville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Fisherville is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
    • Auburn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Amelith
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Amelith is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelith
    • Frankenlust
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Frankenlust is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenlust
    • Willard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Willard is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Seidlers
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Seidlers is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
    • Brooks ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Brooks is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
    • Salzburg ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Salzburg is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
    • Duel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Duel is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
    • Wenona ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wenona is located in Bay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
    • West Bay City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Bay City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kawkawlin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Clinton County
    • Elsie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Montrose
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brent Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Brent Creek is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent Creek
  • Gladwin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Rhodes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Rhodes is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
    • Highwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Highwood is located in Gladwin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
    • Beaverton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Gratiot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • North Wheeler
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
    • Wheeler
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Breckenridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Edgewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
    • Sickles
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Sickles is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
    • Saint Louis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • North Star
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • North Star is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
      • North Star has also been known as:
      • Northstar
    • Alma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Alma is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Ashley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ithaca
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
    • Bannister
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Elwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Coe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Coe is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coe
    • Alembic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Alembic is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
    • Shepherd
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Summerton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Summerton is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
    • Jordan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
    • Mount Pleasant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Crawford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Crawford is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
  • Saginaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Freeland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Dice
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Dice is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dice
    • Frost
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Frost is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
    • Iva
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Iva is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
    • Hemlock
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Orr
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Orr is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
    • Shields
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Shields is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shields
    • Swan Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Swan Creek is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
    • Merrill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Garfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Garfield is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Paines
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Paines is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paines
    • Nelson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Nelson is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Kochville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Kochville is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kochville
  • Shiawassee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Henderson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • New Lothrop
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Tuscola County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte listed first.
    • Richville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Denmark Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Denmark Junction is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark Junction
    • Gilford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Gilford is located in Tuscola County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilford
    • Tuscola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Laporte ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laporte.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laporte, with the one closest to Laporte 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 Laporte in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Laporte.

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

  • Freeland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Frost
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Frost is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
  • Fisherville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fisherville is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
  • Midland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Merrill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Swan Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Swan Creek is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
  • Auburn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Garfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Garfield is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
  • Paines
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Paines is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paines
  • Nelson
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Nelson is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
  • Frankenlust
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Frankenlust is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankenlust
  • Willard
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Willard is located in Bay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Wheeler
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Saint Charles
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Saginaw
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • 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 Laporte. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laporte.

Newspapers Published in Laporte ...

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 169 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laporte.

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

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 Laporte:

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 Laporte, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Laporte) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.