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 Helmer (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 Helmer. 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.
Helmer is located in Steuben County.
To see how the shape of Indiana's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Steuben County: DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble, Branch (MI), Hillsdale (MI) & Williams (OH).
Below are the counties that are near Helmer. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Helmer:
- Steuben County (The home county of Helmer)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Hudson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Angola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Russels Point
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Russels Point is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russels Point
- Hamilton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Hamilton is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,595 people
- Orland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Jamestown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jamestown is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Alvarado
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Alvarado is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
- Fremont
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- York
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- York is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Ray
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ray is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
- Clear Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Lake is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 346 people
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Ari
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Ari is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ari
- Huntertown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Leo-Cedarville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Leo-Cedarville is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leo-Cedarville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,882 people
- Leo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Grabill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dunn Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dunn Mill is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn Mill
- Wallen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Wallen is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallen
- Harlan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hacienda Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hacienda Village is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hacienda Village
- Arcola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Fairfield Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Center is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Center
- Ashley
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Corunna
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Corunna is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corunna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Waterloo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Altona
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Altona is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altona
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Garrett
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Auburn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Moore
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Moore is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
- New Era
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- New Era is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
- Butler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Concord
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Saint Joe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spencerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elkhart County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Millersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Middlebury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Benton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Benton is located in Elkhart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Kosciusko County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- North Webster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Syracuse
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wawasee Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wawasee Village is located in Kosciusko County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wawasee Village
- LaGrange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Gravel Beach
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gravel Beach is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Beach
- Stroh
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Stroh is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroh
- South Milford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- South Milford is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Milford
- Brushy Prairie
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Brushy Prairie is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Prairie
- Wolcottville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Plato
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Plato is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
- Valentine
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Valentine is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valentine
- Mongo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greenfield Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Greenfield Mills is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield Mills
- Brighton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Brighton is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- LaGrange
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Howe
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Topeka
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Noble County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Wakeville Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wakeville Village is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakeville Village
- Kendallville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rome City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Avilla
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Brimfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brimfield is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Laotto
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Albion
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cosperville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Cosperville is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cosperville
- Wawaka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Ege
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Ege is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ege
- Green Center
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Green Center is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Center
- Port Mitchell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Port Mitchell is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Mitchell
- Kimmell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Whitley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Churubusco
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Tri-Lakes
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Tri-Lakes is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tri-Lakes
- Collins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Collins is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Ormas
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ormas is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormas
- Cresco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cresco is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresco
- Etna
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Etna is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Columbia City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lorane
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lorane is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorane
- Branch County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Gilead
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Gilead is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- Canada Shores
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Canada Shores is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canada Shores
- Hatmaker
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hatmaker is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatmaker
- Ray
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bronson
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Batavia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Batavia is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batavia
- Matteson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Matteson is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matteson
- Fisher
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fisher is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher
- Coldwater
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Trailtree Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Trailtree Village is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailtree Village
- Hillsdale County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Montgomery
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Montgomery is located in Hillsdale County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Population from the 2020 Census: 329 people
- Camden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Reading
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Joseph County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Fawn River
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fawn River is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fawn River
- Sturgis
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sturgis is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,803 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <1>
- Burr Oak
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Klingers
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Klingers is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klingers
- Oakwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Bluff Beach
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bluff Beach is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Beach
- Findley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Findley is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Findley
- Colon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Colon is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colon <1>
- Fairfax
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Fairfax is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
- Nottawa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- White Pigeon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Defiance County (OH)
- Hicksville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Paulding County (OH)
- Link ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Link is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Link
- Williams County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Columbia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Columbia is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
- Edon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Edon is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 807 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edon <1>
- Blakeslee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Denmark ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Denmark is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
- Edgerton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cooney
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cooney is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooney
- Northwest
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Northwest is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwest
- Ainger
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ainger is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ainger
- Melbern
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Melbern is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melbern
- Montpelier
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Jim Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Jim Town is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jim Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Helmer, see our County-by-County Page for Helmer.
Cemeteries Near Helmer ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Helmer.
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 Helmer - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Helmer covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Lake Bethel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Wright Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Weston Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- County Line Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Circle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Perseverance Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Trinity Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hollister Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Block Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Reed Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- South Milford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (286 more) ...
- South Milford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lake View Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hessen Cassel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hessen Cassel Cemetery
- The Hessen Cassel Cemetery has also been known as:
- Rice 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.<3>
While we didn't find Helmer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Helmer.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Helmer, with the one closest to Helmer listed first.
- Turkey Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Turkey Creek is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Creek
- Fairfield Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Center is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Center
- Hudson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Salem Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Salem Center is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Center
- South Milford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- South Milford is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Milford
- Corunna
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Corunna is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corunna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Mount Pisgah
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Pisgah is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Kendallville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sedan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sedan is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedan
- Summit
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Summit is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Brushy Prairie
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Brushy Prairie is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Prairie
- Pleasant Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Flint
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Flint is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
- Woodruff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Woodruff is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodruff
- Rome City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Helmer. See our List of 1890's Communities around Helmer.
Newspapers Published in Helmer ...
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 130 newspapers that have been published in the area around Helmer.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Helmer, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Helmer.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Helmer:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Steuben County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allen County
- DeKalb County
- Elkhart County
- Kosciusko County
- LaGrange County
- Noble County
- Whitley County
- Branch County
- Hillsdale County
- Saint Joseph County
- Defiance County
- Paulding County
- Williams County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Indiana
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 Helmer, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Helmer) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |