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 Woodruff (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 Woodruff. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Woodruff 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 Woodruff. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Woodruff:
- LaGrange County (The home county of Woodruff)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Wolcottville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Valentine
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Valentine is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valentine
- Plato
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Plato is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
- South Milford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- South Milford is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Milford
- Gravel Beach
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gravel Beach is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Beach
- Stroh
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Stroh is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroh
- Brushy Prairie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brushy Prairie is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Prairie
- LaGrange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mongo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Brighton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Brighton is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Howe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Topeka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Greenfield Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Greenfield Mills is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield Mills
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Ari
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ari is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ari
- Huntertown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dunn Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Dunn Mill is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunn Mill
- Wallen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wallen is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallen
- Leo-Cedarville
(29 miles [46.7 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
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- DeKalb County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Fairfield Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield Center is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield Center
- Corunna
(13 miles [20.9 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
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Altona
(17 miles [27.4 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
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Waterloo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Auburn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Moore
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Moore is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
- New Era
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Era is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
- Butler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Concord
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in DeKalb County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Saint Joe
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Spencerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elkhart County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Millersburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Middlebury
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Benton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Benton is located in Elkhart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Bainter Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bainter Town is located in Elkhart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainter Town
- Goshen
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- New Paris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bristol
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Dunlap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Dunlap is located in Elkhart County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
- Kosciusko County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Syracuse
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Wawasee Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Wawasee Village is located in Kosciusko County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wawasee Village
- North Webster
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Milford Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Milford Junction is located in Kosciusko County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford Junction
- Milford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- 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 Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Rome City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Wakeville Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wakeville Village is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakeville Village
- Brimfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Brimfield is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Kendallville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cosperville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cosperville is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cosperville
- Wawaka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Albion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Avilla
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Port Mitchell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Port Mitchell is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Mitchell
- Ligonier
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kimmell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Center
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Green Center is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Center
- Cromwell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Steuben County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Hudson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Orland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Lake is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Lake
- Angola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Russels Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Russels Point is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russels Point
- Jamestown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jamestown is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Hamilton
(21 miles [33.8 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
- Fremont
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Alvarado
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alvarado is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
- Ray
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ray is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
- York
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- York is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Clear Lake
(28 miles [45.1 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 Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Ormas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ormas is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormas
- Churubusco
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Tri-Lakes
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Tri-Lakes is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tri-Lakes
- Cresco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Cresco is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cresco
- Etna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Etna is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
- Collins
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Collins is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
- Lorane
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lorane is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorane
- Columbia City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Branch County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Gilead
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gilead is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilead
- Bronson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hatmaker
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- 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
- Matteson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Matteson is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matteson
- Batavia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Batavia is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batavia
- Ray
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sherwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Sherwood is located in Branch County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
- Coldwater
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hillsdale County (MI)
- Montgomery
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Saint Joseph County (MI)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Fawn River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Fawn River is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fawn River
- Sturgis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- 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
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Klingers
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Klingers is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klingers
- Bluff Beach
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bluff Beach is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Beach
- Oakwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Oakwood is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Findley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Findley is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Findley
- White Pigeon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nottawa
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Constantine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Colon
(26 miles [41.8 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
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Fairfax is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
- Centreville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Centreville is located in Saint Joseph County (MI)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,400 people
- Williams County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Columbia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Columbia is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
- Edon
(28 miles [45.1 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>
- Cooney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cooney is located in Williams County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooney
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Woodruff, see our County-by-County Page for Woodruff.
Cemeteries Near Woodruff ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Woodruff.
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 Woodruff - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Woodruff covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Woodruff Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Bethel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Woodruff Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tamarack Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Northport Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- South Milford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- South Milford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Reed Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Brushy Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (295 more) ...
- St. Gaspars Catholic Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Rogers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Perseverance Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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 Woodruff had a population of 20 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Woodruff, with the one closest to Woodruff listed first.
- Wolcottville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Valentine
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Valentine is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valentine
- South Milford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- South Milford is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Milford
- Mount Pisgah
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Pisgah is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Rome City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Brushy Prairie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brushy Prairie is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Prairie
- LaGrange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brimfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Brimfield is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimfield
- Turkey Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Turkey Creek is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey Creek
- Mongo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cosperville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cosperville is located in Noble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cosperville
- Ontario
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Ontario is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Kendallville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Salem Center
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Salem Center is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Center
- Brighton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Brighton is located in LaGrange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Woodruff. See our List of 1890's Communities around Woodruff.
Newspapers Published in Woodruff ...
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 122 newspapers that have been published in the area around Woodruff.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Woodruff, 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 Woodruff.
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 Woodruff:
- 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 Woodruff, 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' (or 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- Woodruff) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |