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A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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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 Sears (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 Sears. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Sears is located in Osceola 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 Osceola County: Clare, Isabella, Lake, Mecosta, Missaukee, Newaygo & Wexford.

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

  • Osceola County     (The home county of Sears)
  • Clare County
  • Isabella County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sears, with the one closest to Sears listed first.
    • Brinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Sherman City ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Weidman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weidman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weidman
      • Weidman is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weidman <2>
    • Lake Isabella
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Vernon City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vernon City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon City
      • Vernon City is located in Isabella County
    • Beal City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beal City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal City
      • Beal City is located in Isabella County
    • Rosebush
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Loomis
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Blanchard
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanchard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard
      • Blanchard is located in Isabella County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blanchard <2>
    • Jordan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jordan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Isabella County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jordan
      • From Sears to Jordan
    • Mount Pleasant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Winn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winn
      • Winn is located in Isabella County
  • Lake County
  • Mecosta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sears, with the one closest to Sears listed first.
    • Barryton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barryton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barryton
      • Barryton is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barryton <2>
    • Pogy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pogy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogy
      • Pogy is located in Mecosta County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pogy
      • From Sears to Pogy
    • Chippewa Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Paris
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rodney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodney have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
      • Rodney is located in Mecosta County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodney <2>
    • Mecosta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mecosta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecosta
      • Mecosta is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mecosta <2>
    • Remus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Big Rapids
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Canadian Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Halls Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Millbrook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
      • Millbrook is located in Mecosta County
    • Stanwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Missaukee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sears, with the one closest to Sears listed first.
    • McBain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Stoney Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Vogel Center
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vogel Center. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vogel Center
      • Vogel Center is located in Missaukee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vogel Center
      • From Sears to Vogel Center
    • Lucas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Falmouth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
      • Falmouth is located in Missaukee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <2>
    • Jennings
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Lake City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Newaygo County
  • Wexford County

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

Cemeteries Near Sears ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sears.

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 Sears - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sears covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Orient Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orient Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orient Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Osceola County Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Osceola County Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Osceola County Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Sylvan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sylvan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sylvan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Evart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Evart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Evart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • German Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Proctor Family Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Proctor Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Proctor Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cherry Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cherry Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cherry Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garfield Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Garfield Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (179 more) ...

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sears had a population of 98 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Sears ...

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 111 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sears.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sears, 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 Sears.

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 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 Sears:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Sears, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Sears) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sears. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.8986, Longitude: -85.1874