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 Sterling (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 Sterling. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Sterling is located in Arenac 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 Arenac County: Bay, Gladwin, Iosco & Ogemaw.
Below are the counties that are near Sterling. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sterling:
- Arenac County (The home county of Sterling)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Standish
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Melita
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Melita is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
- Pine River
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pine River is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine River
- Arenac
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Arenac is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
- Omer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Omer is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
- Maple Ridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Ridge is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
- Saganing
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Saganing is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saganing
- Whites Beach
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Whites Beach is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Beach
- Twining
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Twining is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twining
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Turner
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Turner is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
- Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
- Au Gres
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Harmon City Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Harmon City Heights is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon City Heights
- Bay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Bentley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bentley is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentley
- Nine Mile
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Nine Mile is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Mile
- Woodville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Woodville is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Mount Forest
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Forest is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Forest
- Pinconning
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Linwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brissette Beach
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Brissette Beach is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brissette Beach
- Duel
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Duel is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duel
- Seidlers
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Seidlers is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seidlers
- Willard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Willard is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
- Kawkawlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Wenona Beach ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Wenona Beach is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona Beach
- Auburn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Clare County
- Meredith
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Meredith is located in Clare County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith
- Gladwin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Rhodes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rhodes is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
- Highwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Highwood is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
- White Star
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- White Star is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Star
- Wooden Shoe Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Wooden Shoe Village is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooden Shoe Village
- Sugar Rapids
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Sugar Rapids is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Rapids
- Butman
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Butman is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butman
- Gladwin
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Beaverton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Iosco County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Whittemore
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- National City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- White Rock ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- White Rock is located in Iosco County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
- Hale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Long Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Tawas City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Midland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Edenville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Edenville is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
- Hope
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Midland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Averill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Averill is located in Midland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averill
- Sanford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ogemaw County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Skidway Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Prescott
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Greenwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood is located in Ogemaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Campbells Corners
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Campbells Corners is located in Ogemaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbells Corners
- West Branch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ogemaw Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Ogemaw Springs is located in Ogemaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogemaw Springs
- Fayettes Corner ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Fayettes Corner is located in Ogemaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayettes Corner
- Lupton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rose City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- South Branch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Roscommon County
- Saint Helen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sterling, see our County-by-County Page for Sterling.
Cemeteries Near Sterling ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sterling.
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 Sterling - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sterling covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- St. George Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Sterling Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- St. Joseph's Polish National Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Woodmere Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Plains Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Resurrection of the Lord Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Clayton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pine River Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- St. Edwards Catholic Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Alger Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (100 more) ...
- Gibson Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Arenac Twp. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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 Sterling had a population of 260 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sterling had a population of 498 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
- Standish
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Melita
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Melita is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melita
- Worth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Worth is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth
- Arenac
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Arenac is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
- Omer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Omer is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
- Maple Ridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Ridge is located in Arenac County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Ridge
- Alger
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rhodes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rhodes is located in Gladwin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes
- Mount Forest
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Forest is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Forest
- Nine Mile
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Nine Mile is located in Bay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Mile
- Prescott
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Pinconning
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Greenwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood is located in Ogemaw County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Au Gres
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Whittemore
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sterling. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sterling.
Newspapers Published in Sterling ...
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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sterling.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sterling, 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 Sterling.
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 Sterling:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Arenac County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bay County
- Clare County
- Gladwin County
- Iosco County
- Midland County
- Ogemaw County
- Roscommon 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 Sterling, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Sterling) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |