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 Pleasant Valley (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 Pleasant Valley. 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 Pleasant Valley ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Pleasant Valley: Pleasant Vly. (or less commonly used: Pleasant Vally. or Pleasant Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Pleasant Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Pleasant Valley.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Pleasant Valley is located in Midland County.
To see how the shape of Michigan's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Midland County: Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella & Saginaw.
Below are the counties that are near Pleasant Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Pleasant Valley:
- Midland County (The home county of Pleasant Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Porter
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Redstone
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Redstone is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Oil City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Oil City is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
- Ryan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ryan is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryan
- North Bradley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- North Bradley is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bradley
- Alamando
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Alamando is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamando
- Sanford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Averill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Averill is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
- Coleman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Midland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hope
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Edenville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Edenville is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
- Bay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Fisherville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fisherville is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisherville
- Auburn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Duel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Duel is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
- Willard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Willard is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
- Seidlers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Seidlers is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
- Amelith
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Amelith is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelith
- Clare County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Clare
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Farwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dover
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dover is located in Clare County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Hatton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hatton is located in Clare County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatton
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Eureka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Eureka is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Maple Rapids
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Maple Rapids is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Elsie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Gladwin County
- Beaverton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Gratiot County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Saint Louis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Forest Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- North Wheeler
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- North Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wheeler
- Breckenridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Alma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Wheeler
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Elwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ithaca
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Elm Hall
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Elm Hall is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Hall
- Riverdale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Edgewood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Sickles
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sickles is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
- North Star
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- North Star is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
- North Star has also been known as:
- Northstar
- Isabella County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Coe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Coe is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coe
- Shepherd
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Alembic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alembic is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
- Summerton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Summerton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
- Mount Pleasant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Crawford is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Jordan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
- Strickland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Strickland is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strickland
- Rosebush
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Winn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Winn is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
- Loomis
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Loomis is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loomis
- Beal City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Beal City is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
- Lake Isabella
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Isabella is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Isabella
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,688 people
- Lake Isabella has also been known as:
- Lake Isabella village
- Mecosta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Millbrook
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Remus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Montcalm County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Vestaburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Vestaburg is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vestaburg
- Cedar Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cedar Lake is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
- Crystal
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Edmore
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Wyman
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Wyman is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyman
- McBride
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Carson City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Butternut
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Butternut is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butternut
- Stanton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vickeryville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vickeryville is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vickeryville
- Six Lakes
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Entrican
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Entrican is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Entrican
- Saginaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Merrill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Iva
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Iva is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iva
- Lakefield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lakefield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
- Hemlock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Nelson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Nelson is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Orr
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Orr is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Freeland
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Dice
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Dice is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dice
- Frost
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Frost is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
- Brant
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Garfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garfield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Fenmore
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fenmore is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenmore
- Saint Charles
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Pleasant Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Pleasant Valley.
Cemeteries Near Pleasant Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pleasant Valley.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Pleasant Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Pleasant Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Coe Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jasper Twp. Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Salt River Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bethany Indian Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Greendale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Chippewa Twp. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Isabella County Poor Farm Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kelly Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brady Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wright Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (195 more) ...
- Rose Lawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Porter Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Irishtown Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Pleasant Valley had a population of 28 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Pleasant Valley, with the one closest to Pleasant Valley listed first.
- Shepherd
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Porter
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Porter is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Summerton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Summerton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerton
- Forest Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Forest Hill is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hill
- Saint Louis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Saint Elmo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Elmo is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Elmo
- Alembic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alembic is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alembic
- Breckenridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Alma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Wheeler
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wheeler is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Mount Pleasant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Crawford is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Beebe
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Beebe is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe
- Leaton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Leaton is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaton
- Jordan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jordan is located in Isabella County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Pleasant Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Pleasant Valley.
Newspapers Published in Pleasant Valley ...
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 170 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pleasant Valley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pleasant Valley, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pleasant Valley.
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 Pleasant Valley:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Midland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bay County
- Clare County
- Clinton County
- Gladwin County
- Gratiot County
- Isabella County
- Mecosta County
- Montcalm County
- Saginaw County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Pleasant Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Pleasant Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |