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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 Paxton (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 Paxton. 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 southwest 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 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.

Paxton is located in Alpena 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 Alpena County: Alcona, Montmorency, Oscoda & Presque Isle.

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

  • Alpena County     (The home county of Paxton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
    • McHarg
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHarg
      • McHarg is located in Alpena County
    • Herron
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herron
      • Herron is located in Alpena County
    • Lachine
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lachine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lachine
      • Lachine is located in Alpena County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lachine <2>
    • Flanders
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
      • Flanders is located in Alpena County
    • Long Rapids
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
      • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
    • Alpena
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Hubbard Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Ossineke
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Alcona County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
    • Spruce
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hubbard Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hubbard Lake
      • Hubbard Lake is located in Alcona County
    • Lost Lake Woods
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Lake Woods
      • Lost Lake Woods is located in Alcona County
    • Black River
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Barton City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Curran
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Alcona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
      • Alcona is located in Alcona County
    • Lincoln
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Montmorency County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
    • Hillman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Royston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royston
      • Royston is located in Montmorency County
    • Atlanta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlanta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlanta
      • Atlanta is located in Montmorency County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlanta <2>
    • Big Rock ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Big Rock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
      • Big Rock is located in Montmorency County
    • Canada Creek Ranch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canada Creek Ranch
      • Canada Creek Ranch is located in Montmorency County
  • Presque Isle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paxton, with the one closest to Paxton listed first.
    • Leroy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
      • Leroy is located in Presque Isle County
    • Polaski
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polaski
      • Polaski is located in Presque Isle County
    • Posen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Posen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posen
      • Posen is located in Presque Isle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Posen <2>
    • Bell ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
      • Bell is located in Presque Isle County
    • Presque Isle
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Metz
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metz
      • Metz is located in Presque Isle County
    • Liske
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liske
      • Liske is located in Presque Isle County
    • Hagensville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagensville
      • Hagensville is located in Presque Isle County
    • Hawks
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks
      • Hawks is located in Presque Isle County
    • Calcite
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calcite have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcite
      • Calcite is located in Presque Isle County
    • Rogers City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers City
      • Rogers City is located in Presque Isle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,665 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers City <2>
    • Moltke
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moltke
      • Moltke is located in Presque Isle County

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

Newspapers Published in Paxton ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Paxton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Paxton, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Paxton.

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 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 Paxton:

Cemeteries Near Paxton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Paxton.

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

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

  • Herron St. Rose's Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Herron St. Rose's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Herron St. Rose's Cemetery
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
  • Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilgrims Rest Cemetery
  • Greely Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Greely Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Flanders.
    • The Greely Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Green Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greely Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2220618 <5>
  • St. Matthew Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Matthew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Matthew Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Cross Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Alpena.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #742 <5>
  • Grace Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grace Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grace Lutheran Cemetery
  • Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Alpena.
    • The Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Alpena Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #474 <5>
  • Long Rapids Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Rapids Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Rapids Cemetery
  • Continue List   (47 more) ...
    • Cathro Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cathro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cathro Cemetery
    • Spratt Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spratt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spratt Cemetery
    • Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery

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>

While we didn't find Paxton in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Paxton.

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

  • Flanders
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flanders
    • Flanders is located in Alpena County
  • Long Rapids
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Rapids
    • Long Rapids is located in Alpena County
  • Alpena
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Bolton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bolton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton
    • Bolton is located in Alpena County
  • Hubbard Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Ossineke
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Posen
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Posen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Posen
    • Posen is located in Presque Isle County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Posen <2>
  • Hillman
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Bell ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell
    • Bell is located in Presque Isle County
  • Presque Isle
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Hagensville
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagensville
    • Hagensville is located in Presque Isle County
  • Black River
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (4 more) ...
    • Curran
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Alcona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcona
      • Alcona is located in Alcona County
    • Rogers City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers City
      • Rogers City is located in Presque Isle County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,665 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers City <2>

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

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

The official website for Alpena County: www.alpenacounty.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- Paxton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Paxton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0545, Longitude: -83.6141       In this case, the coordinates for Paxton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Paxton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024