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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 Marlette (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 Marlette. 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.

Marlette is located in Sanilac 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 Sanilac County: Huron, Lapeer, Saint Clair & Tuscola.

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

  • Sanilac County     (The home county of Marlette)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marlette, with the one closest to Marlette listed first.
    • Juhl
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juhl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juhl
      • Juhl is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Juhl
      • From Marlette to Juhl
    • Decker
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Hemans
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemans. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemans
      • Hemans is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hemans
      • From Marlette to Hemans
    • Elmer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Snover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Watertown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Valley Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cash
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cash. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash
      • Cash is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cash
      • From Marlette to Cash
    • Peck
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Sandusky
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Melvin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Sanilac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
    • Speaker
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Argyle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marlette, with the one closest to Marlette listed first.
    • Otisville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otisville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otisville
      • Otisville is located in Genesee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 824 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otisville <2>
    • Russellville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Davison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davison have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davison
      • Davison is located in Genesee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,860 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davison <2>
    • Genesee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genesee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
      • Genesee is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Genesee <2>
  • Huron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marlette, with the one closest to Marlette listed first.
    • Ubly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Bach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Owendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owendale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owendale
      • Owendale is located in Huron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Owendale <2>
  • Lapeer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marlette, with the one closest to Marlette listed first.
    • Clifford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
      • Clifford is located in Lapeer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
    • Burnside
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
      • Burnside is located in Lapeer County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burnside
      • From Marlette to Burnside
    • North Branch
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Silverwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverwood
      • Silverwood is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silverwood <2>
    • Brown City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Kings Mill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Five Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Lakes
      • Five Lakes is located in Lapeer County
    • Barnes Lake - Millers Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Lum
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Attica
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Attica have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Attica
      • Attica is located in Lapeer County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Attica <2>
    • Columbiaville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Otter Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Lake
      • Otter Lake is located in Lapeer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otter Lake <2>
    • Imlay City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Saint Clair County
  • Tuscola County

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

Cemeteries Near Marlette ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marlette.

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 Marlette covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Marlette, with the one closest to Marlette 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Marlette had a population of 1,050 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Marlette had a population of 1,752 people.

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

  • Clifford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
    • Clifford is located in Lapeer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 323 people
  • Juhl
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Juhl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juhl
    • Juhl is located in Sanilac County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Juhl
    • From Marlette to Juhl
  • Kingston
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • North Branch
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Burnside
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
    • Burnside is located in Lapeer County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Burnside
    • From Marlette to Burnside
  • Brown City
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Elmer
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Wilmot
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • East Dayton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Dayton
    • East Dayton is located in Tuscola County
  • Valley Center
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kings Mill
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Mayville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Five Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Lakes
      • Five Lakes is located in Lapeer County
    • Melvin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Melvin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
      • Melvin is located in Sanilac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 166 people
    • Deford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Marlette ...

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 86 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marlette.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Marlette. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Marlette and those printed in the larger area surrounding Marlette.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Marlette.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Marlette:

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

The official website for Sanilac County: www.sanilaccounty.net/

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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>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- Marlette) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Marlette. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.3278, Longitude: -83.0799    
<6>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 Marlette, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 25 Jul 2025