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 Berrien Center (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 Berrien Center. 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 Berrien Center ...
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 Berrien Center: Berrien Ctr. (or less commonly used: Berrien Cen., Berrien Cent. or Berrien Cntr.)
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 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 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.
Berrien Center is located in Berrien 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 Berrien County: LaPorte (IN), Saint Joseph (IN), Cass & Van Buren.
Below are the counties that are near Berrien Center. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Berrien Center:
- Berrien County (The home county of Berrien Center)
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Eau Claire
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Berrien Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hartman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Naomi
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Shanghai Corners
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Shanghai Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
- Sodus
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Hinchman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hinchman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinchman
- Niles
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Buchanan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Scottdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Scottdale is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottdale
- Baroda
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Snow
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Snow is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow
- Bakertown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bakertown is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakertown
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Sumnerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sumnerville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
- Pokagon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- Dowagiac
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- La Grange
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- La Grange is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Cassopolis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Edwardsburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brownsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Brownsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Penn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Penn is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
- Vandalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Vandalia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Wakelee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wakelee is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
- Jones
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Marcellus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Union
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Joseph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Chamberlain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
- Fabius
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Fabius is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fabius
- Mottville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mottville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottville
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Keeler
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Keeler is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeler
- Hartford
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Decatur
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Fish Corners
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
- Lawrence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Covert
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bangor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Lawton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Paw Paw
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Breedsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Glendale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Glendale is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- South Haven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mattawan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Elkhart County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Simonton Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
- Elkhart
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Jamestown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jamestown is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Bristol
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dunlap
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dunlap is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
- LaPorte County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Hesston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hesston is located in LaPorte County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesston
- Rolling Prairie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Smith
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Smith is located in LaPorte County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
- Saint Joseph County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Georgetown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Indian Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
- Roseland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
- Granger
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- South Bend
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Zeigler
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Zeigler is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
- Mishawaka
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- New Carlisle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Osceola
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <1>
- Crumstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Crumstown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumstown
- Gulivoire Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Gulivoire Park is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulivoire Park
- Nutwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
- Lakeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Berrien Center, see our County-by-County Page for Berrien Center.
Cemeteries Near Berrien Center ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Berrien Center.
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 Berrien Center - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Berrien Center covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Berrien Center Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- South Maple Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Eau Claire Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Franklin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Long Lake Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Morris Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ferry Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Sumnerville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rodgers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gilbert Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (244 more) ...
- Mission Hills Memorial Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ely Graves
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Berrien Center had a population of 100 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Berrien Center, with the one closest to Berrien Center listed first.
- Eau Claire
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Berrien Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fairland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fairland is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Hartman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Naomi
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Pokagon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- Sodus
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Hinchman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hinchman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinchman
- Niles
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Dowagiac
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sister Lakes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sister Lakes is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sister Lakes
- Spinks Corners
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Spinks Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks Corners
- Continue List (20 more) ...
- Buchanan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dailey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dailey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dailey
- Hollywood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hollywood is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Berrien Center. See our List of 1890's Communities around Berrien Center.
Newspapers Published in Berrien Center ...
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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Berrien Center.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Berrien Center, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Berrien Center.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Berrien Center:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Berrien County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cass County
- Saint Joseph County
- Van Buren County
- Elkhart County
- LaPorte County
- Saint Joseph County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
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> | 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 Berrien Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Berrien Center) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |