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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 South Branch (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 South Branch. 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 South Branch ...

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.

Another variation: Southbranch.

  • A typical abbreviation for South Branch: S. Branch

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.

South Branch is located in Ogemaw 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 Ogemaw County: Alcona, Arenac, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Oscoda & Roscommon.

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

  • Ogemaw County     (The home county of South Branch)
  • Alcona County
  • Arenac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Branch, with the one closest to South Branch listed first.
    • Maple Ridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Turner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
      • Turner is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
    • Twining
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twining have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twining
      • Twining is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Melita
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melita. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
      • Melita is located in Arenac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Melita
      • From South Branch to Melita
    • Harmon City Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmon City Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon City Heights
      • Harmon City Heights is located in Arenac County
    • Omer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
      • Omer is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Au Gres
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Sterling
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
      • Sterling is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterling <1>
  • Iosco County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Branch, with the one closest to South Branch listed first.
    • Long Lake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Hale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Sid Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sid Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sid Town
      • Sid Town is located in Iosco County
    • Whittemore
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whittemore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittemore
      • Whittemore is located in Iosco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whittemore <1>
    • National City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for National City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for National City
      • National City is located in Iosco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for National City <1>
    • White Rock ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilber
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilber. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilber
      • Wilber is located in Iosco County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilber
      • From South Branch to Wilber
    • Foote Site Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foote Site Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foote Site Village
      • Foote Site Village is located in Iosco County
    • Tawas City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • East Tawas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Lincoln Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Au Sable
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Oscoda County
  • Roscommon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from South Branch, with the one closest to South Branch listed first.
    • Saint Helen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Geels
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geels
      • Geels is located in Roscommon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Geels
      • From South Branch to Geels

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

Cemeteries Near South Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Branch.

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

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

  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hill Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hill Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hill Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lane Heights Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lane Heights Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lane Heights Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Curtisville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Esmond Evergreen Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Glennie Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Logan Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Logan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Logan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose City Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Long Lake Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln B. Watson Grave
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln B. Watson Grave
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln B. Watson Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (75 more) ...
    • McKinley Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKinley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKinley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Selkirk Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Pioneer Plains Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Plains Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Plains 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.<6>

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

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

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

Newspapers Published in South Branch ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of South Branch, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for South Branch.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 South Branch:

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

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

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 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>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>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>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- South Branch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in South Branch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4671, Longitude: -83.8870    
<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 South Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025