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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 North Star (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 North Star. 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.

Name Variations for North Star ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

North Star has also been known as: Northstar.

  • A typical abbreviation for North Star: N. Star

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 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.

North Star is located in Gratiot 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 Gratiot County: Clinton, Ionia, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw & Shiawassee.

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

  • Gratiot County     (The home county of North Star)
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
    • Eureka
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Clinton County
    • Maple Rapids
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
    • Elsie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Duplain
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Saint Johns
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Johns have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Shepardsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ovid
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ovid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Fowler
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Price
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Price. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
      • Price is located in Clinton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Price
      • From North Star to Price
    • Westphalia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • East DeWitt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • De Witt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Bath
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bath have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
      • Bath is located in Clinton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bath <2>
  • Ionia County
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
    • Coe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coe
      • Coe is located in Isabella County
    • Shepherd
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Crawford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Strickland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
      • Strickland is located in Isabella County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Strickland
      • From North Star to Strickland
    • Alembic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Winn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
      • Winn is located in Isabella County
    • Jordan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jordan
      • From North Star to Jordan
  • Midland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
    • Redstone
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Ryan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ryan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
      • Ryan is located in Midland County
    • Porter
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Oil City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oil City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
      • Oil City is located in Midland County
    • Averill
      (30 miles [48.3 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
      • Averill is located in Midland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Averill
      • From North Star to Averill
    • Sanford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Midland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
    • Carson City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carson City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Crystal
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Butternut
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Vestaburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Vickeryville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
      • Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
    • McBride
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McBride have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBride
      • McBride is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McBride <2>
    • Sheridan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Edmore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Fenwick
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Stanton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
      • Stanton is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,420 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanton <2>
    • Wyman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Amsden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Saginaw County
  • Shiawassee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
    • Henderson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henderson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Burton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Smith Crossing
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Five Points
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Owosso
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Laingsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laingsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laingsburg
      • Laingsburg is located in Shiawassee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,283 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laingsburg <2>
    • Middletown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Shiawassee County
    • Corunna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corunna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corunna
      • Corunna is located in Shiawassee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,320 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corunna <2>
    • New Lothrop
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Lothrop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Juddville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near North Star ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Star.

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

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

  • North Star Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Brady Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brady Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brady Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Staton Farm Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Staton Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Staton Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barnes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barnes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barnes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hufford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hufford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hufford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fritz Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fritz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fritz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ithaca Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ithaca Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ithaca Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beechler Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beechler Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beechler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hayes Road Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hayes Road Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hayes Road Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beebe Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beebe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beebe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Collier Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Collier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Collier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (234 more) ...
    • Hamilton Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamilton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Collister Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Collister Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Collister Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Greenwood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] 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.<1> 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 North Star had a population of 253 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Ithaca
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ithaca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Pompeii
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ashley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sickles
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Edgewood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
    • Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Edgewood
    • From North Star to Edgewood
  • Beebe
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beebe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe
    • Beebe is located in Gratiot County
  • Perrinton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Bridgeville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridgeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeville
    • Bridgeville is located in Gratiot County
  • Rathbone
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rathbone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbone
    • Rathbone is located in Gratiot County
  • Newark
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newark have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
    • Newark is located in Gratiot County
  • Middleton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Eureka
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eureka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
    • Eureka is located in Clinton County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Bannister
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Galloway
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
      • Galloway is located in Saginaw County
    • Alma
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of North Star ...

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 111 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Star.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 North Star:

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

The official website for Gratiot County: www.co.gratiot.mi.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 North Star, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- North Star) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in North Star. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.2481, Longitude: -84.5434    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025