RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Osceola County >> Marion >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Michigan

The Commemorative Quarter for Michigan





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 Marion (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 Marion. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Marion is located in Osceola County.

To see how the shape of Michigan's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Osceola County: Clare, Isabella, Lake, Mecosta, Missaukee, Newaygo & Wexford.

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

  • Osceola County     (The home county of Marion)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Park Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Highland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Avondale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avondale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
      • Avondale is located in Osceola County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avondale
      • From Marion to Avondale
    • Dighton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Sears
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
      • Sears is located in Osceola County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sears <3>
    • Evart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
      • Evart is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <3>
    • Le Roy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Tustin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tustin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tustin
      • Tustin is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tustin <3>
    • Ashton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ashton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
      • Ashton is located in Osceola County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ashton
      • From Marion to Ashton
    • Hersey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hersey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
      • Hersey is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hersey <3>
    • Reed City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Clare County
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Brinton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sherman City ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Vernon City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon City
      • Vernon City is located in Isabella County
    • Weidman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weidman have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weidman
      • Weidman is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weidman <3>
  • Lake County
  • Mecosta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Pogy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pogy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogy
      • Pogy is located in Mecosta County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pogy
      • From Marion to Pogy
    • Barryton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barryton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barryton
      • Barryton is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barryton <3>
    • Chippewa Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Paris
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Rodney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Rodney is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodney <3>
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Vogel Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • McBain
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Stoney Corner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Falmouth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
      • Falmouth is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <3>
    • Lucas
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jennings
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Merritt
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Star City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
      • Star City is located in Missaukee County
    • Cutcheon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cutcheon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutcheon
      • Cutcheon is located in Missaukee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cutcheon
      • From Marion to Cutcheon
    • Stittsville ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stittsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stittsville
      • Stittsville is located in Missaukee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stittsville
      • From Marion to Stittsville
    • Moorestown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Newaygo County
  • Roscommon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Houghton Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake
      • Houghton Lake is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houghton Lake <3>
    • Nellsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Houghton Lake Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake Heights
      • Houghton Lake Heights is located in Roscommon County
    • Prudenville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prudenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudenville
      • Prudenville is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prudenville <3>
  • Wexford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
    • Cadillac
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Benson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Haring
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Missaukee Junction
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Bond's Mills ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Manton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manton
      • Manton is located in Wexford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manton <3>
    • Boon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boon
      • Boon is located in Wexford County
    • Meauwataka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoxeyville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hoxeyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoxeyville
      • Hoxeyville is located in Wexford County
      • Hoxeyville has also been known as:
      • Clay Hill
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hoxeyville
      • From Marion to Hoxeyville
    • Harrietta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrietta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrietta
      • Harrietta is located in Wexford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harrietta <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Marion ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marion.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Watson Road Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watson Road Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watson Road Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Park Lake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Park Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Park Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Winterfield Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Winterfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Winterfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Middle Branch Twp. Cemetery No. 1
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Middle Branch Twp. Cemetery No. 2
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Mt. View Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cherry Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cherry Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cherry Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Vogel Center Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vogel Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vogel Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maple Valley Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (139 more) ...
    • Fernwood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fernwood Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fernwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Highland Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Sylvan Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sylvan Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sylvan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Marion had a population of 350 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Marion had a population of 853 people.

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

  • Park Lake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Avondale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avondale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Avondale is located in Osceola County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Avondale
    • From Marion to Avondale
  • Temple
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Temple have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Temple
    • Temple is located in Clare County
  • McBain
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Vogel Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Dighton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Falmouth
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
    • Falmouth is located in Missaukee County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <3>
  • Lucas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Moddersville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moddersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moddersville
    • Moddersville is located in Missaukee County
  • Lake George
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Sears
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sears have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sears
    • Sears is located in Osceola County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sears <3>
  • Le Roy
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Evart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
      • Evart is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <3>
    • Hobart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hobart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobart
      • Hobart is located in Wexford County
    • Tustin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tustin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tustin
      • Tustin is located in Osceola County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tustin <3>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Marion ...

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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marion.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Marion. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Marion and those printed in the larger area surrounding Marion.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Marion.

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 Marion:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Marion. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Marion, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Marion) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Marion. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.1025, Longitude: -85.1474    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025