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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 Beechwood (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 Beechwood. 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 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.

Beechwood is located in Ottawa County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ottawa County: Allegan, Kent & Muskegon.

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

  • Ottawa County     (The home county of Beechwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beechwood, with the one closest to Beechwood listed first.
    • Waverly
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Waverly is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Holland
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Noordeloos
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
    • Macatawa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Zeeland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Port Sheldon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Port Sheldon is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Sheldon
    • Drenthe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
    • West Olive
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Agnew
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Agnew is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Forest Grove Station
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Forest Grove Station is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove Station
    • Rusk
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rusk is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • South Blendon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • South Blendon is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Blendon
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beechwood, with the one closest to Beechwood listed first.
    • Graafschap
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
    • Boyd
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Boyd is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
    • Fillmore
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Singapore ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Singapore is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singapore
    • Saugatuck
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Hamilton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Douglas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Fennville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Diamond Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
    • Burnips
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Burnips is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnips
      • Former name for Burnips:
      • Burnip's Corners
    • Ganges
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Ganges is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganges
    • New Salem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • New Salem is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beechwood, with the one closest to Beechwood listed first.
    • North Dorr
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • North Dorr is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dorr
    • Grandville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Byron Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Beverly
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Beverly is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
    • Burlingame Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Burlingame Heights is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame Heights
    • Burlingame
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Burlingame is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Carlisle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Carlisle is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
    • Wyoming
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Clyde Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Clyde Park is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde Park
    • Corinth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Corinth is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
    • Cutlerville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Galewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Galewood is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galewood
  • Muskegon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beechwood, with the one closest to Beechwood listed first.
    • Fruitport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Norton Shores
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sullivan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Sullivan is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
    • Muskegon Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Ravenna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Roosevelt Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Muskegon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beechwood, with the one closest to Beechwood listed first.
    • Kibbie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
    • Lacota
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
    • Bloomingdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Grand Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • South Haven
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Beechwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Beechwood.

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 Beechwood - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Beechwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • North Holland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Graafschap Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Graafschap Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Pilgrim Home Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim Home Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pilgrim Home Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Holland.
    • The Pilgrim Home Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Holland Twp. Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1371 <2>
  • Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Roselawn Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Lakewood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • East Holland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • New Groningen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Noordeloos Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lake Shore Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • East Saugatuck Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (194 more) ...
    • Zeeland Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ventura Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Gibson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)

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 Beechwood in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Beechwood.

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

  • Holland
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Graafschap
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
  • Noordeloos
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
  • New Holland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • New Holland is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Holland
  • Zeeland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Gibson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gibson is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
  • Fillmore
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
  • Overisel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Overisel is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overisel
  • East Saugatuck
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • East Saugatuck is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Saugatuck
  • Borculo
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Borculo is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borculo
  • Olive Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Olive Center is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Center
  • Drenthe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Vriesland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Vriesland is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vriesland
    • Beaverdam
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Beaverdam is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdam
    • West Olive
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Beechwood ...

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 159 newspapers that have been published in the area around Beechwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Beechwood, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Beechwood.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Beechwood:

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 Beechwood, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Beechwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.