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The Commemorative Quarter for Indiana





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 Southwest (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 Southwest. 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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Southwest is located in Elkhart County.

To see how the shape of Indiana's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Elkhart County: Kosciusko, LaGrange, Marshall, Noble, Saint Joseph, Cass (MI) & Saint Joseph (MI).

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

  • Elkhart County     (The home county of Southwest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Foraker
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Wakarusa
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakarusa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakarusa
      • Wakarusa is located in Elkhart County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wakarusa <2>
    • Bainter Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bainter Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainter Town
      • Bainter Town is located in Elkhart County
    • New Paris
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Paris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Paris
      • New Paris is located in Elkhart County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Paris <2>
    • Goshen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Goshen is located in Elkhart County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goshen <2>
    • Dunlap
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunlap have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
      • Dunlap is located in Elkhart County
    • Jamestown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gravelton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gravelton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelton
      • Gravelton is located in Elkhart County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gravelton
      • From Southwest to Gravelton
    • Nappanee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Benton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
      • Benton is located in Elkhart County
    • Elkhart
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Garden Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
      • Garden Village is located in Elkhart County
  • Kosciusko County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Milford Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Milford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
      • Milford is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
    • Syracuse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syracuse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
      • Syracuse is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,856 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Syracuse <2>
    • Wawasee Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wawasee Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wawasee Village
      • Wawasee Village is located in Kosciusko County
    • Clunette
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Leesburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
      • Leesburg is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leesburg <2>
    • Etna Green
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Atwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Arrowhead Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • North Webster
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Webster
      • North Webster is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,161 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Webster <2>
    • Winona Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winona Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona Lake
      • Winona Lake is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,890 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winona Lake <2>
    • Mentone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mentone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentone
      • Mentone is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 955 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mentone <2>
  • LaGrange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Topeka
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Shipshewana
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shipshewana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipshewana
      • Shipshewana is located in LaGrange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 731 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shipshewana <2>
    • Seyberts
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • LaGrange
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for LaGrange have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LaGrange
      • LaGrange is located in LaGrange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,802 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for LaGrange <2>
    • Valentine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Wolcottville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolcottville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottville
      • Wolcottville is located in LaGrange County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,055 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wolcottville <2>
    • Howe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in LaGrange County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howe <2>
  • LaPorte County
    • Kankakee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kankakee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kankakee
      • Kankakee is located in LaPorte County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kankakee
      • From Southwest to Kankakee
  • Marshall County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Bremen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bremen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bremen
      • Bremen is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bremen <2>
    • Bourbon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bourbon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourbon
      • Bourbon is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bourbon <2>
    • La Paz
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Old Tip Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Tip Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Tip Town
      • Old Tip Town is located in Marshall County
    • Plymouth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Tippecanoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Argos
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Tyner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Donaldson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donaldson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
      • Donaldson is located in Marshall County
  • Noble County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Ligonier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ligonier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ligonier
      • Ligonier is located in Noble County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,411 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ligonier <2>
    • Cromwell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Noble County
    • Kimmell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kimmell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmell
      • Kimmell is located in Noble County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kimmell <2>
    • Wilmot
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cosperville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Wawaka
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Wolf Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Albion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Brimfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brimfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
      • Brimfield is located in Noble County
    • Port Mitchell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Rome City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rome City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome City
      • Rome City is located in Noble County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,400 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rome City <2>
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Osceola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <2>
    • Wyatt
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wyatt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
      • Wyatt is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wyatt <2>
    • Mishawaka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gulivoire Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Granger
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lakeville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
      • Lakeville is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 799 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakeville <2>
    • Nutwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nutwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
      • Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nutwood
      • From Southwest to Nutwood
    • South Bend
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Georgetown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County
    • Indian Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Roseland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
    • Crumstown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crumstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumstown
      • Crumstown is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crumstown
      • From Southwest to Crumstown
  • Starke County
    • Koontz Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Koontz Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koontz Lake
      • Koontz Lake is located in Starke County
  • Whitley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Etna
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ormas
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Larwill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Larwill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larwill
      • Larwill is located in Whitley County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
    • Lorane
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lorane. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorane
      • Lorane is located in Whitley County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lorane
      • From Southwest to Lorane
  • Berrien County (MI)
  • Cass County (MI)
  • Saint Joseph County (MI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Southwest, with the one closest to Southwest listed first.
    • Mottville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • White Pigeon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Constantine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Constantine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Constantine
      • Constantine is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Constantine <2>
    • Klingers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Klingers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klingers
      • Klingers is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Klingers
      • From Southwest to Klingers
    • Oakwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
      • Oakwood is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oakwood
      • From Southwest to Oakwood
    • Bluff Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fabius
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Southwest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Southwest.

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

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

  • Hoke Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoke Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miller Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Yellow Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yellow Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yellow Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bull Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bull Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bull Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Providence Primitive Baptist Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Wenger Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wenger Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wenger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pletcher Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pletcher Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pletcher Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Mennonite Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Stutsman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stutsman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stutsman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shutts Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shutts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shutts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sparklin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Violett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (268 more) ...
    • Hess Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hess Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hess Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • West Goshen Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Burkett Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burkett Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burkett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Southwest had a population of 52 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Foraker
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Wakarusa
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakarusa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakarusa
    • Wakarusa is located in Elkhart County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,848 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wakarusa <2>
  • Waterford Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterford Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford Mills
    • Waterford Mills is located in Elkhart County
  • New Paris
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Paris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Paris
    • New Paris is located in Elkhart County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Paris <2>
  • Goshen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
    • Goshen is located in Elkhart County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,168 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goshen <2>
  • Nappanee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Gravelton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gravelton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravelton
    • Gravelton is located in Elkhart County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Gravelton
    • From Southwest to Gravelton
  • Milford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
    • Milford is located in Kosciusko County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
  • Milford Junction
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Benton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
    • Benton is located in Elkhart County
  • Hastings
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hastings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastings
    • Hastings is located in Kosciusko County
  • Elkhart
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Osceola
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <2>
    • Bremen
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bremen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bremen
      • Bremen is located in Marshall County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bremen <2>
    • Syracuse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syracuse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syracuse
      • Syracuse is located in Kosciusko County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,856 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Syracuse <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Southwest ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Southwest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Southwest, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Southwest.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Southwest:

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

The official website for Elkhart County: www.elkhartcountyindiana.com/

The official website for State of Indiana: https://www.in.gov

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Southwest) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Southwest. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.5366, Longitude: -85.9440       In this case, the coordinates for Southwest have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Southwest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025