RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Saint Joseph County >> Centreville >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Centreville (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 Centreville. 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 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.

Centreville is located in Saint Joseph County and is the County Seat.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Saint Joseph County: Elkhart (IN), LaGrange (IN), Branch, Cass & Kalamazoo.

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

  • Saint Joseph County     (The home county of Centreville)
  • Branch County
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Centreville, with the one closest to Centreville listed first.
    • Athens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
      • Athens is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <2>
    • East Leroy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • West Leroy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Joppa
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Burlington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burlington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 277 people
    • Sonoma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonoma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonoma
      • From Centreville to Sonoma
    • Fort Custer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Custer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Custer
      • Fort Custer is located in Calhoun County
      • Former name for Fort Custer:
      • Camp Custer
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fort Custer
      • From Centreville to Fort Custer
    • Beadle Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Tekonsha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Cass County
  • Kalamazoo County
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Centreville, with the one closest to Centreville listed first.
    • Lawton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Lawton is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,796 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawton <2>
    • Mattawan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawan
      • Mattawan is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,973 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mattawan <2>
    • Decatur
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Paw Paw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Almena
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Almena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almena
      • From Centreville to Almena
  • Elkhart County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Centreville, with the one closest to Centreville listed first.
    • Middlebury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlebury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlebury
      • Middlebury is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,608 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middlebury <2>
    • Bristol
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
      • Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Simonton Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simonton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
      • Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Millersburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
      • Millersburg is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 950 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millersburg <2>
    • Dunlap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunlap have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
      • Dunlap is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Elkhart
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Goshen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Goshen is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goshen <2>
  • LaGrange County (IN)
  • Noble County (IN)
  • Steuben County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Centreville, with the one closest to Centreville listed first.
    • Orland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orland
      • Orland is located in Steuben County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 426 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orland <2>
    • Jamestown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Centreville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Centreville.

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

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

  • Amish Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Amish Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Amish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Centreville Village Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centreville Village Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centreville Village Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prairie River Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie River Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Culberson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Culberson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Culberson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Grove Mennonite Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Mennonite Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Mennonite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calhoun Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calhoun Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calhoun Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nottawa Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nottawa Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nottawa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bowman Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowman Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowman Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (325 more) ...
    • Peek Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peek Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Parkville Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parkville Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parkville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Babcock Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Babcock Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Babcock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Centreville had a population of 775 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Centreville had a population of 1,400 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Centreville ...

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 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around Centreville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Centreville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Centreville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Centreville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Centreville.

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 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 Centreville:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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 Centreville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Centreville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Centreville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9237, Longitude: -85.5283