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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Pere Cheney. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Pere Cheney to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Pere Cheney, please Contact Us.

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 Pere Cheney (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 Pere Cheney. 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 Pere Cheney ...

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.

Pere Cheney has also been known as: Center Plains and Cheney.

Another variation: Pere Cheny.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Pere Cheney is historic, it would have been located within present day Crawford 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 Crawford County: Antrim, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego & Roscommon.

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

  • Crawford County     (The home county of Pere Cheney)
  • Antrim County
    • Mancelona
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mancelona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mancelona
      • Mancelona is located in Antrim County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,375 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mancelona <3>
  • Clare County
  • Kalkaska County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pere Cheney, with the one closest to Pere Cheney listed first.
    • Fletcher
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fletcher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
      • Fletcher is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fletcher
      • From Pere Cheney to Fletcher
    • Angling
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Angling. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angling
      • Angling is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Angling
      • From Pere Cheney to Angling
    • Sharon ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sharon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
      • Sharon is located in Kalkaska County
      • Sharon has also been known as:
      • Big Oley
      • Jam One
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sharon
      • From Pere Cheney to Sharon
    • Sigma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sigma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigma
      • Sigma is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sigma
      • From Pere Cheney to Sigma
    • Spencer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spencer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
      • Spencer is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Spencer
      • From Pere Cheney to Spencer
    • Lodi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Kalkaska
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalkaska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalkaska
      • Kalkaska is located in Kalkaska County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,083 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalkaska <3>
    • Westwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Westwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
      • Westwood is located in Kalkaska County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Westwood
      • From Pere Cheney to Westwood
    • Deibert
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pere Cheney, with the one closest to Pere Cheney listed first.
    • Stratford ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stratford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratford
      • Stratford is located in Missaukee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stratford
      • From Pere Cheney to Stratford
    • Moorestown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Merritt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Star City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
      • Star City is located in Missaukee County
    • Stittsville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Cutcheon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cutcheon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutcheon
      • Cutcheon is located in Missaukee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cutcheon
      • From Pere Cheney to Cutcheon
  • Montmorency County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pere Cheney, with the one closest to Pere Cheney listed first.
    • Garland Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland Village
      • Garland Village is located in Montmorency County
    • Lewiston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Vienna Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vienna Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna Corners
      • Vienna Corners is located in Montmorency County
  • Ogemaw County
  • Oscoda County
  • Otsego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pere Cheney, with the one closest to Pere Cheney listed first.
    • Lower Chub Landing ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Waters
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Arbutus Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Pearll City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pearll City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearll City
      • Pearll City is located in Otsego County
    • Johannesburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johannesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johannesburg
      • Johannesburg is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johannesburg <3>
  • Roscommon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pere Cheney, with the one closest to Pere Cheney listed first.
    • Roscommon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roscommon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscommon
      • Roscommon is located in Roscommon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,044 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscommon <3>
    • Higgins Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Higgins Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins Lake
      • Higgins Lake is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Higgins Lake <3>
    • Hillcrest
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tent City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tent City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tent City
      • Tent City is located in Roscommon County
    • Geels
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Geels. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geels
      • Geels is located in Roscommon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Geels
      • From Pere Cheney to Geels
    • Houghton Lake Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake Heights
      • Houghton Lake Heights is located in Roscommon County
    • Saint Helen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Nellsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Houghton Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake
      • Houghton Lake is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houghton Lake <3>
    • Prudenville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prudenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudenville
      • Prudenville is located in Roscommon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prudenville <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Pere Cheney ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pere Cheney.

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

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

  • Pere Cheney Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gerrish Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gerrish Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gerrish Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Higgins Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Higgins Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Higgins Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beaver Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaver Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaver Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elmwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stephan Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stephan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stephan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • United States Government Military Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the United States Government Military Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the United States Government Military Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Heidemann Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heidemann Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Heidemann Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Richfield Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ball Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ball Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ball Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (65 more) ...
    • Markey Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Markey Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Markey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rock Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Maple Forest Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Forest Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Forest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.

Pere Cheney itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 51 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Roscommon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roscommon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscommon
    • Roscommon is located in Roscommon County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,044 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roscommon <3>
  • Grayling
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Frederic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Fletcher
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fletcher. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Fletcher is located in Kalkaska County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fletcher
    • From Pere Cheney to Fletcher
  • Saint Helen
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Luzerne
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Moorestown
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Houghton Lake
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Houghton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houghton Lake
    • Houghton Lake is located in Roscommon County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Houghton Lake <3>
  • Prudenville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prudenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prudenville
    • Prudenville is located in Roscommon County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prudenville <3>
  • Red Oak
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Damon
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Sharon ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sharon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
    • Sharon is located in Kalkaska County
    • Sharon has also been known as:
    • Big Oley
    • Jam One
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sharon
    • From Pere Cheney to Sharon
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Waters
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Star City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
      • Star City is located in Missaukee County
    • Stittsville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Pere Cheney ...

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 Pere Cheney.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pere Cheney, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pere Cheney.

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 Pere Cheney:

The official website for Crawford County: www.crawfordco.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Pere Cheney, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Pere Cheney) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pere Cheney. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.5775, Longitude: -84.6382       In this case, the coordinates for Pere Cheney have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025