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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 Van (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 Van. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Van is located in Emmet 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 Emmet County: Charlevoix & Cheboygan.

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

  • Emmet County     (The home county of Van)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van, with the one closest to Van listed first.
    • Levering
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Pellston
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pellston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pellston
      • Pellston is located in Emmet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 843 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pellston <1>
    • Brutus
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brutus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
      • Brutus is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brutus <1>
    • Carp Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Marsh Corner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Corner
      • Marsh Corner is located in Emmet County
    • Alanson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alanson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanson
      • Alanson is located in Emmet County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 755 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alanson <1>
    • Oden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Conway
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conway <1>
    • Ponshewaing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponshewaing
      • Ponshewaing is located in Emmet County
    • Stutsmanville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stutsmanville
      • Stutsmanville is located in Emmet County
    • Cross Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Village
      • Cross Village is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cross Village <1>
    • Mackinaw City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Charlevoix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van, with the one closest to Van listed first.
    • Bay Shore
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay Shore
      • Bay Shore is located in Charlevoix County
    • Walloon Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Zenith Heights
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith Heights
      • Zenith Heights is located in Charlevoix County
    • Horton Bay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton Bay
      • Horton Bay is located in Charlevoix County
    • Boyne City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyne City
      • Boyne City is located in Charlevoix County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,717 people
      • Former names for Boyne City:
      • Bay Springs
      • Boyne
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyne City <1>
    • Charlevoix
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Boyne Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Ironton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
      • Ironton is located in Charlevoix County
  • Cheboygan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van, with the one closest to Van listed first.
    • Riggsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riggsville
      • Riggsville is located in Cheboygan County
    • Burt Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burt Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt Lake
      • Burt Lake is located in Cheboygan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burt Lake <1>
    • Topinabee
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Long Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Point
      • Long Point is located in Cheboygan County
    • Mullett Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mullett Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullett Lake
      • Mullett Lake is located in Cheboygan County
    • Silver Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Beach
      • Silver Beach is located in Cheboygan County
    • Giauque Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giauque Beach
      • Giauque Beach is located in Cheboygan County
    • Veery Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Veery Point
      • Veery Point is located in Cheboygan County
    • Point Nipigon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Nipigon
      • Point Nipigon is located in Cheboygan County
      • Point Nipigon has also been known as:
      • Point Nip-i-gon
    • Cheboygan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheboygan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheboygan
      • Cheboygan is located in Cheboygan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,697 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cheboygan <1>
    • Indian River
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian River
      • Indian River is located in Cheboygan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Indian River <1>
    • Afton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mackinac County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Van, with the one closest to Van listed first.
    • Pointe Aux Pins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gros Cap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gros Cap
      • Gros Cap is located in Mackinac County
    • Saint Ignace
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Ignace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Ignace
      • Saint Ignace is located in Mackinac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,325 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Ignace <1>
    • Mackinac Island
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mackinac Island have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackinac Island
      • Mackinac Island is located in Mackinac County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
    • British Landing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for British Landing
      • British Landing is located in Mackinac County
    • Allenville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenville
      • Allenville is located in Mackinac County
    • Moran
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moran have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moran
      • Moran is located in Mackinac County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moran <1>
  • Presque Isle County
    • Black Lake Bluffs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Lake Bluffs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Lake Bluffs
      • Black Lake Bluffs is located in Presque Isle County

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

Newspapers Published in Van ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Van.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Van, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Van.

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 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 Van:

Cemeteries Near Van ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Van.

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

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

  • McKinley Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKinley Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKinley Twp. Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Levering & Carp Lake Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Levering & Carp Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Levering & Carp Lake Cemetery
  • Ayr Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mennonite Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mennonite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mennonite Cemetery
  • Maple River Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple River Cemetery
  • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Munro Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Munro Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Munro Cemetery
  • Hebron Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebron Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebron Cemetery
  • Bliss Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bliss Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bliss Twp. Cemetery
  • St. Nicholas Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • The St. Nicholas Cemetery has also been known as:
    • St. Nichols Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Nicholas Cemetery
  • Emmet County Poor Farm Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emmet County Poor Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emmet County Poor Farm Cemetery
  • Continue List   (88 more) ...
    • St. Mary's Indian Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Indian Cemetery
    • Riggsville Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riggsville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riggsville Cemetery
    • Pleasant View Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery

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 Van in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Van.

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

  • Pellston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pellston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pellston
    • Pellston is located in Emmet County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 843 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pellston <1>
  • Levering
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Brutus
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brutus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
    • Brutus is located in Emmet County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brutus <1>
  • Ayr
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayr have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayr
    • Ayr is located in Emmet County
  • Carp Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Bliss
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bliss have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bliss
    • Bliss is located in Emmet County
  • Pleasant View
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Pleasant View is located in Emmet County
  • Riggsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riggsville
    • Riggsville is located in Cheboygan County
  • Alanson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alanson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanson
    • Alanson is located in Emmet County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 755 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alanson <1>
  • Oden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Burt Lake
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burt Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burt Lake
    • Burt Lake is located in Cheboygan County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burt Lake <1>
  • Topinabee
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Freedom
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freedom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom
      • Freedom is located in Cheboygan County
    • Conway
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
      • Conway is located in Emmet County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conway <1>
    • Mullett Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mullett Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullett Lake
      • Mullett Lake is located in Cheboygan County

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

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

The official website for Emmet County: www.co.emmet.mi.us/

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>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 from Point A (ie- Van) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Van. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.5942, Longitude: -84.7828    
<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 Van, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024