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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 Valley Island (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 Valley Island. 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 Valley Island ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Valley Island: Valley Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Valley Island is located in Huron 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 Huron County: Sanilac & Tuscola.

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

  • Huron County     (The home county of Valley Island)
  • Arenac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Island, with the one closest to Valley Island listed first.
    • Au Gres
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Harmon City Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harmon City Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmon City Heights
      • Harmon City Heights is located in Arenac County
    • Whites Beach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Arenac
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arenac. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arenac
      • Arenac is located in Arenac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Arenac
      • From Valley Island to Arenac
    • Saganing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Pine River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Omer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Standish
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Standish have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Standish
      • Standish is located in Arenac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Standish <1>
    • Twining
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twining have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Turner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
  • Bay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Island, with the one closest to Valley Island listed first.
    • Essexville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Essexville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essexville
      • Essexville is located in Bay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Essexville <1>
    • Wenona Beach ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Banks ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Banks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Banks is located in Bay County
      • Banks has also been known as:
      • Bangor
      • Bank City
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Banks
      • From Valley Island to Banks
    • Munger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munger have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munger
      • Munger is located in Bay County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Munger <1>
    • Brissette Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Bay City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Linwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Wenona ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wenona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
      • Wenona is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wenona
      • From Valley Island to Wenona
    • West Bay City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Bay City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bay City
      • West Bay City is located in Bay County
      • West Bay City has also been known as:
      • West Bank City
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Bay City
      • From Valley Island to West Bay City
    • Kawkawlin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Pinconning
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinconning have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinconning
      • Pinconning is located in Bay County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pinconning <1>
    • Brooks ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
      • Brooks is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brooks
      • From Valley Island to Brooks
    • Salzburg ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Salzburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salzburg
      • Salzburg is located in Bay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Salzburg
      • From Valley Island to Salzburg
  • Saginaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Island, with the one closest to Valley Island listed first.
    • Reese
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reese have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
      • Reese is located in Saginaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,366 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reese <1>
    • Blumfield Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Melbourne ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Sanilac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Valley Island, with the one closest to Valley Island listed first.
    • Tyre
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Hemans
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hemans. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemans
      • Hemans is located in Sanilac County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hemans
      • From Valley Island to Hemans
    • Argyle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Decker
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Tuscola County

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

Cemeteries Near Valley Island ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Island.

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 Valley Island covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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>

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

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

  • Sebewaing
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Kilmanagh
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bay Port
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Pigeon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Berne
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berne. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berne
    • Berne is located in Huron County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Berne
    • From Valley Island to Berne
  • Unionville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Owendale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owendale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owendale
    • Owendale is located in Huron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Owendale <1>
  • Elkton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Caseville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Colwood
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colwood
    • Colwood is located in Tuscola County
  • Gagetown
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gagetown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gagetown
    • Gagetown is located in Tuscola County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gagetown <1>
  • Wisner
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wisner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wisner
    • Wisner is located in Tuscola County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Akron
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Elmwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Popple
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Popple have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Popple
      • Popple is located in Huron County

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

Newspapers Published in Valley Island ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Island.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Valley Island:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Valley Island. 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>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.
<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 Valley Island, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Valley Island) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Valley Island. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7929, Longitude: -83.4280    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025