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 South Milford (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 South Milford. 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 South Milford ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for South Milford: S. Milford
You might be interested in other communities that are also named South Milford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for South Milford.
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 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.
South Milford is located in LaGrange 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 LaGrange County: Elkhart, Noble, Steuben, Branch (MI) & Saint Joseph (MI).
Below are the counties that are near South Milford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to South Milford:
- LaGrange County (The home county of South Milford)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Gravel Beach
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gravel Beach is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Beach
- Wolcottville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Stroh
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Stroh is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroh
- Brushy Prairie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brushy Prairie is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Prairie
- Valentine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Valentine is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valentine
- Plato
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Plato is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
- Mongo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- LaGrange
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brighton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Brighton is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Topeka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- 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
- Howe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Ari
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Ari is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ari
- Huntertown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- 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
- Leo-Cedarville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Leo-Cedarville is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leo-Cedarville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,882 people
- Leo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wallen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Wallen is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallen
- Grabill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arcola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Harlan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Fairfield Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Center is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Center
- Corunna
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Corunna is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corunna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Ashley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Altona
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Altona is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altona
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Garrett
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Waterloo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Auburn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Moore
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Moore is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
- New Era
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- New Era is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
- Butler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Concord
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Saint Joe
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Elkhart County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Millersburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Middlebury
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Benton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Benton is located in Elkhart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Bainter Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Bainter Town is located in Elkhart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainter Town
- New Paris
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Goshen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bristol
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kosciusko County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Syracuse
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wawasee Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wawasee Village is located in Kosciusko County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wawasee Village
- North Webster
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Milford Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Milford Junction is located in Kosciusko County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford Junction
- Milford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Milford is located in Kosciusko County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
- Noble County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Wakeville Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wakeville Village is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakeville Village
- Rome City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kendallville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Brimfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Brimfield is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Avilla
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Wawaka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cosperville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Cosperville is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cosperville
- Albion
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Port Mitchell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Port Mitchell is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Mitchell
- Ege
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Ege is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ege
- Green Center
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Green Center is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Center
- Kimmell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Steuben County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Hudson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Orland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Angola
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hamilton
(18 miles [29 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
- Russels Point
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Russels Point is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russels Point
- Jamestown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jamestown is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Alvarado
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Alvarado is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
- Fremont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ray
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ray is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
- York
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- York is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Clear Lake
(27 miles [43.5 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
- Whitley County
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Churubusco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Ormas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ormas is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormas
- Tri-Lakes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tri-Lakes is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tri-Lakes
- Collins
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Collins is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Cresco
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cresco is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresco
- Etna
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Etna is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Lorane
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lorane is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorane
- Columbia City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dunfee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dunfee is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunfee
- Larwill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Larwill is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larwill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
- Branch County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Gilead
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Gilead is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- Bronson
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hatmaker
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hatmaker is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatmaker
- Canada Shores
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Canada Shores is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canada Shores
- Ray
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Batavia
(27 miles [43.5 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
- Hillsdale County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Montgomery
(29 miles [46.7 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
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Joseph County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Fawn River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Fawn River is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fawn River
- Sturgis
(19 miles [30.6 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
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Klingers
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Klingers is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klingers
- Bluff Beach
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bluff Beach is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Beach
- Oakwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Findley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Findley is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Findley
- White Pigeon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Nottawa
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Colon
(29 miles [46.7 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
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Fairfax is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
- Constantine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Williams County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Columbia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Columbia is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
- Edon
(26 miles [41.8 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
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Edgerton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cooney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cooney is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooney
- Denmark ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Denmark is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
- Northwest
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Northwest is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwest
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to South Milford, see our County-by-County Page for South Milford.
Cemeteries Near South Milford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of South Milford.
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 South Milford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for South Milford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- South Milford Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- South Milford Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Perseverance Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weston Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Bethel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Tamarack Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Wright Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Reed Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Woodruff Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Gaspars Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Northport Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (294 more) ...
- Old Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lake View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Brushy Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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 South Milford had a population of 178 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from South Milford, with the one closest to South Milford listed first.
- Woodruff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Woodruff is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodruff
- Wolcottville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rome City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Turkey Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Turkey Creek is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Creek
- Mount Pisgah
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mount Pisgah is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Kendallville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Salem Center
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Salem Center is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Center
- Brushy Prairie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brushy Prairie is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Prairie
- Valentine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Valentine is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valentine
- Brimfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Brimfield is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Fairfield Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Center is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Center
- Corunna
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Corunna is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corunna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hudson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Mongo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cosperville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Cosperville is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cosperville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around South Milford. See our List of 1890's Communities around South Milford.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of South Milford ...
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 131 newspapers that have been published in the area around South Milford.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of South Milford. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of South Milford and those printed in the larger area surrounding South Milford.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<4> of South Milford.
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 South Milford:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to LaGrange County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allen County
- DeKalb County
- Elkhart County
- Kosciusko County
- Noble County
- Steuben County
- Whitley County
- Branch County
- Hillsdale County
- Saint Joseph 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 South Milford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- South Milford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |