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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 Merrill (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 Merrill. 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 doctors 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.

Merrill is located in Saginaw 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 Saginaw County: Bay, Clinton, Genesee, Gratiot, Midland, Shiawassee & Tuscola.

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

  • Saginaw County     (The home county of Merrill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Hemlock
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Iva
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakefield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Nelson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Orr
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Orr. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
      • Orr is located in Saginaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Orr
      • From Merrill to Orr
    • Garfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Garfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
      • Garfield is located in Saginaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Garfield
      • From Merrill to Garfield
    • Dice
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Frost
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frost. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
      • Frost is located in Saginaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Frost
      • From Merrill to Frost
    • Brant
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant
      • Brant is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brant <1>
    • Saint Charles
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Charles have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
      • Saint Charles is located in Saginaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Charles <1>
    • Swan Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Freeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland
      • Freeland is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeland <1>
  • Bay County
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Elsie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Eureka
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Clinton County
    • Duplain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Maple Rapids
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Rapids
      • Maple Rapids is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
    • Ovid
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ovid have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ovid
      • Ovid is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,607 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ovid <1>
    • Shepardsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Saint Johns
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Johns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
      • Saint Johns is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,904 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Johns <1>
  • Genesee County
  • Gratiot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Wheeler
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
    • North Wheeler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
      • North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
    • Breckenridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Breckenridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckenridge
      • Breckenridge is located in Gratiot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Breckenridge <1>
    • Edgewood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edgewood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Edgewood
      • From Merrill to Edgewood
    • Sickles
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Louis
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Ithaca
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ithaca have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ithaca
      • Ithaca is located in Gratiot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ithaca <1>
    • North Star
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Alma
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Gratiot County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alma <1>
    • Ashley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Forest Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forest Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
      • Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forest Hill
      • From Merrill to Forest Hill
    • Bannister
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Coe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coe
      • Coe is located in Isabella County
    • Shepherd
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Alembic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Crawford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jordan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jordan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jordan
      • From Merrill to Jordan
    • Strickland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Strickland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
      • Strickland is located in Isabella County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Strickland
      • From Merrill to Strickland
    • Rosebush
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Winn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
      • Winn is located in Isabella County
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Ryan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ryan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
      • Ryan is located in Midland County
    • Redstone
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Porter
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Midland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Averill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Averill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Averill
      • From Merrill to Averill
    • Sanford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Oil City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Midland County
    • North Bradley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Hope
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
      • Hope is located in Midland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hope <1>
    • Alamando
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alamando. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
      • Alamando is located in Midland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alamando
      • From Merrill to Alamando
    • Edenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
      • Edenville is located in Midland County
    • Coleman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Vestaburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Carson City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carson City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson City
      • Carson City is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,105 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carson City <1>
  • Shiawassee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill listed first.
    • Henderson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henderson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
      • Henderson is located in Shiawassee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Henderson <1>
    • Smith Crossing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Burton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • New Lothrop
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Lothrop have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lothrop
      • New Lothrop is located in Shiawassee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Lothrop <1>
    • Five Points
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Owosso
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Juddville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middletown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Shiawassee County

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

Cemeteries Near Merrill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Merrill.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Merrill, with the one closest to Merrill 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 Merrill had a population of 412 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Merrill had a population of 720 people.

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

  • Galloway
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galloway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
    • Galloway is located in Saginaw County
  • Wheeler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
    • Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
  • Rathbone
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rathbone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbone
    • Rathbone is located in Gratiot County
  • Nelson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Breckenridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Breckenridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breckenridge
    • Breckenridge is located in Gratiot County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,265 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Breckenridge <1>
  • Edgewood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edgewood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
    • Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Edgewood
    • From Merrill to Edgewood
  • Sickles
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Garfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Garfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Garfield is located in Saginaw County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Garfield
    • From Merrill to Garfield
  • Porter
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Brant
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brant
    • Brant is located in Saginaw County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brant <1>
  • Saint Charles
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Charles have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
    • Saint Charles is located in Saginaw County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Charles <1>
  • Frost
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frost. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
    • Frost is located in Saginaw County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Frost
    • From Merrill to Frost
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Beebe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beebe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe
      • Beebe is located in Gratiot County
    • Swan Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Freeland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeland
      • Freeland is located in Saginaw County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeland <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Merrill ...

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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Merrill.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Merrill. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Merrill and those printed in the larger area surrounding Merrill.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5> of Merrill.

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 Merrill:

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

The official website for Saginaw County: www.saginawcounty.com/

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

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>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.
<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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Merrill) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Merrill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.4100, Longitude: -84.3303    
<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 Merrill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025