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 Saint Johns (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 Saint Johns. 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 Saint Johns ...
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 occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Saint Johns: St. Johns
- In past government published Postal Guides, Saint Johns was referred to as Saint Johns Courthouse.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint Johns. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint Johns.
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.
For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Saint Johns is located in Clinton County and is the County Seat.
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 Clinton County: Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Montcalm, Saginaw & Shiawassee.
Below are the counties that are near Saint Johns. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Johns:
- Clinton County (The home county of Saint Johns)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Shepardsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Shepardsville is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepardsville
- Duplain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Duplain is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplain
- Price
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Price is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
- Eureka
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Ovid
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Maple Rapids
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Maple Rapids is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Fowler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Elsie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- De Witt
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- East DeWitt
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- East DeWitt is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East DeWitt
- Gunnisonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Gunnisonville is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunnisonville
- Bath
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Westphalia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Eaton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Waverly
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Waverly is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Grand Ledge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Millett
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Millett is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millett
- Millett has also been known as:
- Milletts
- Mulliken
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Dimondale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- West Windsor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- West Windsor is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Windsor
- Needmore
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Needmore is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needmore
- Potterville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sunfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kingsland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Kingsland is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsland
- Little Venice
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Little Venice is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Venice
- Gresham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gresham is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
- Stalls Corner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stalls Corner is located in Eaton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stalls Corner
- Gratiot County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Bannister
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pompeii
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Ashley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Perrinton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Perrinton is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrinton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 391 people
- Middleton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- North Star
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- North Star is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Star
- North Star has also been known as:
- Northstar
- Sickles
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sickles is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sickles
- Ithaca
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Edgewood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Edgewood is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Sumner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sumner is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumner
- Alma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Breckenridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Elm Hall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Elm Hall is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Hall
- Ingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- North Lansing
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- North Lansing is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lansing
- Edgemont Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Edgemont Park is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgemont Park
- East Lansing
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Lansing
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Haslett
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Okemos
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Meridian
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Meridian is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
- Holt
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Williamston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Pollok ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pollok is located in Ingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollok
- Pollok has also been known as:
- Pollock
- Mason
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Webberville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ionia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Matherton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Matherton is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matherton
- Pewamo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Hubbardston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Portland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lyons
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Muir
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Palo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Palo is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo
- Ionia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- South Ionia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- South Ionia is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ionia
- Woods Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Woods Corners is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Corners
- West Sebewa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Sebewa is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sebewa
- Shiloh
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Shiloh is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Orleans
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Orleans is located in Ionia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
- Montcalm County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Carson City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Butternut
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Butternut is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butternut
- Vickeryville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Vickeryville is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vickeryville
- Crystal
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fenwick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Fenwick is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenwick
- Sheridan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Amsden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Amsden is located in Montcalm County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsden
- Saginaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Chapin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chapin is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
- Fenmore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fenmore is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenmore
- Oakley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Brant
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Chesaning
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lakefield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lakefield is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
- Nelson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Nelson is located in Saginaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Saint Charles
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Merrill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Shiawassee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Burton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Burton is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burton
- Laingsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Five Points
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Five Points is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Smith Crossing
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Smith Crossing is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Crossing
- Shaftsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Shaftsburg is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaftsburg
- Henderson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Owosso
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Middletown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Middletown is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Perry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Corunna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Morrice
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Newburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Newburg is located in Shiawassee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Bancroft
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Johns, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Johns.
Cemeteries Near Saint Johns ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Johns.
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 Saint Johns - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Johns covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Mt. Rest Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- South Bingham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Prairie Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gardner Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Merihew Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Frink Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bray Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Georgia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- South Ovid Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Duplain Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Richmond Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Eureka Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (246 more) ...
- Lowe Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Ridge Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Alward Lake Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Johns had a population of 3,127 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Johns had a population of 7,904 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Johns, with the one closest to Saint Johns listed first.
- Price
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Price is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
- Shepardsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Shepardsville is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepardsville
- Duplain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Duplain is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duplain
- Eureka
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Riley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Riley is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riley
- Bridgeville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bridgeville is located in Gratiot County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeville
- Ovid
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Maple Rapids
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Maple Rapids is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Rapids
- Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
- Fowler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- De Witt
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Elsie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- South Riley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- South Riley is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Riley
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Bannister
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pompeii
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Westphalia
(13 miles [20.9 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 Saint Johns. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Johns.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Johns ...
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 181 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Johns.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint Johns. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint Johns and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint Johns.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Saint Johns.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Saint Johns:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Clinton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Eaton County
- Gratiot County
- Ingham County
- Ionia County
- Montcalm County
- Saginaw County
- Shiawassee 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> | 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 Saint Johns, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Saint Johns) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |