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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 Olivet (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 Olivet. 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 and 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.

Olivet is located in Eaton 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 Eaton County: Barry, Calhoun, Clinton, Ingham, Ionia & Jackson.

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

  • Eaton County     (The home county of Olivet)
  • Barry County
  • Branch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olivet, with the one closest to Olivet listed first.
    • Girard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Union City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Hodunk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hodunk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodunk
      • Hodunk is located in Branch County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hodunk
      • From Olivet to Hodunk
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olivet, with the one closest to Olivet listed first.
    • Duck Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Rice Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pennfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Marengo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Marshall
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
      • Marshall is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,923 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marshall <2>
    • Ceresco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ceresco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceresco
      • Ceresco is located in Calhoun County
    • Brownlee Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownlee Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
    • Verona Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Battle Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Albion
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Beadle Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bedford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
  • Clinton County
  • Hillsdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olivet, with the one closest to Olivet listed first.
    • Litchfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
      • Litchfield is located in Hillsdale County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,328 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <2>
    • Mosherville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mosherville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosherville
      • Mosherville is located in Hillsdale County
  • Ingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olivet, with the one closest to Olivet listed first.
    • Onondaga
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • North Leslie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Leslie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Leslie
      • North Leslie is located in Ingham County
    • Holt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
      • Holt is located in Ingham County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holt <2>
    • Leslie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Mason
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mason have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
      • Mason is located in Ingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,389 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mason <2>
    • Edgemont Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgemont Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgemont Park
      • Edgemont Park is located in Ingham County
    • Lansing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • North Lansing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bunker Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bunker Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
      • Bunker Hill is located in Ingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bunker Hill
      • From Olivet to Bunker Hill
    • East Lansing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lansing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lansing
      • East Lansing is located in Ingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 47,641 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Lansing <2>
  • Ionia County
  • Jackson County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Olivet, with the one closest to Olivet listed first.
    • Augusta
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • South Gull Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gull Lake
      • South Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Yorkville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yorkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yorkville
      • From Olivet to Yorkville
    • Climax
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Galesburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Richland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <2>
    • Scotts
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
      • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Olivet ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Olivet.

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

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

  • Olivet Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olivet Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bosworth Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bosworth Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bosworth Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lee Center Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Partello Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Partello Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Partello Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spaulding Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spaulding Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spaulding Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bellevue Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bellevue Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bellevue Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Austin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Austin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Austin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Porter Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Clarence Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Clarence Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Clarence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sowles Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sowles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sowles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Perry Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Follett Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Follett Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Follett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (300 more) ...
    • Nichols Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Carrier Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carrier Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carrier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • West Carmel Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Carmel Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Carmel 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Olivet had a population of 790 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Olivet had a population of 1,858 people.

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

  • Ainger
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Partello
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Partello have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Partello
    • Partello is located in Calhoun County
  • Bellevue
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Bellevue is located in Eaton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,299 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellevue <2>
  • Brookfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
    • Brookfield is located in Eaton County
  • Carlisle
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Duck Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Rice Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Kalamo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalamo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamo
    • Kalamo is located in Eaton County
  • Charlotte
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Assyria
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assyria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assyria
    • Assyria is located in Barry County
  • Charlesworth
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Chester
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Olivet ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Olivet.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Olivet. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Olivet and those printed in the larger area surrounding Olivet.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4> of Olivet.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Olivet:

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

The official website for Eaton County: www.eatoncounty.org/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Olivet) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Olivet. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4425, Longitude: -84.9228    
<5>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.
<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 Olivet, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025