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Places of Alpena County |
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Leer, Michigan
I surf eBay frequently for new postcards and other information to round out the Alpena County experience for genealogists. Most of the postcard/map/company artifact sellers are very friendly and provide quite a bit of information. I was very intrigued when I saw this entry:
"...I have never heard of Leer before and doubt that it still exists. It was located between Posen and Long Rapids in northeast Michigan. This early card is not titled but it is postmarked Leer, Mich. 1911. The correspondence was written by one of the workers working amongst the logs in the image and it talks about this being only part of the logs rafted. The writting on the front of the card looks like F.H. Wade, not certain. ..."
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It was apparently named by its Norwegian Settlers, who came from Lier, Norway, according to Michigan Place Names, by Walter Romig, LHD.
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Linda Christopherson published a book, Norwegian Migration from Lier, Norway to Leer, Michigan in 1966 that is available at the Clarke Historical Library in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
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Leer Lutheran Church is alive and thriving: check them out online! Click the "About our Church" link for a fantastic picture of the church/cemetery and more information about the church.
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Joan Crick published the History of the Leer Lutheran Church in 1967 - it too is available at the Clarke Historical Library in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Actually, the most interesting information about the town came from a german site (http://www.ewetel.net/~norbert.fiks/ostfriesland/seiten/dreimalig.html) :
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LEER, MICHIGAN
45°12' N / 83°44' W
Das amerikanische Leer ist ein locker besiedeltes, territorial nicht exakt abgegrenztes ländliches Gebiet im Nordosten des US-Bundesstaats Michigan und liegt etwa 30 Kilometer westlich des Huron-Sees im Alpena County. Dort leben schätzungsweise 300 Menschen. Leer hat keinen festen Ortskern, es gibt aber eine lutherische Kirche (65 Gemeindeglieder). Verwaltungsmäßig gehört es zur Gemeinde (township) Long Rapids (1019 Einwohner). -
Doing my best to translate: "The American Leer city is a loosely settled rural area in the northeast of Michigan and lies about 30 km (app. 18 miles) west of Huron Lake in Alpena County. It's population is roughly 300 people. Leer does not have a city center, but it does have a lutheran church with 65 members within it. Long Rapids Township administers all municipality needs."
You can see from the pinpoint that Leer is officially at the corner of Keeling and Leer Road. Depending on the source, I've found it extends all the way up to the Sunken Lake, or only goes as far as Leer Road.
If you are a researcher in Leer, I'd love to hear more about this town! Please contact me!
Copyright © 2004-2008 Concetta Franco Phillipps
2004 Jolene Kelly Pillars1997-2003 by Jill Olmack
Updated 28 Apr 2008