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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 Crystal Beach (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 Crystal Beach. 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 Crystal Beach ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Crystal Beach: Crystal Bch.

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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Crystal Beach is located in Van Buren County.

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 Van Buren County: Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo & Saint Joseph.

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

  • Van Buren County     (The home county of Crystal Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Beach, with the one closest to Crystal Beach listed first.
    • South Haven
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Covert
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fish Corners
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
      • Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
    • Kibbie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
    • Bangor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <1>
    • Lacota
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
    • Bloomingdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Breedsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Grand Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Hartford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Lawrence
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Glendale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Beach, with the one closest to Crystal Beach listed first.
    • South Haven Highlands
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Miami Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Park
      • Miami Park is located in Allegan County
      • Miami Park has also been known as:
      • Miami Park Beach
      • Miomi Park Beach
    • Mount Pleasant
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Allegan County
    • Cedar Bluff
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
      • Cedar Bluff is located in Allegan County
    • Glenn Haven Shores
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Haven Shores
      • Glenn Haven Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Glenn Haven Shores has also been known as:
      • Hollywood
    • Hawkhead
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
      • Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
    • Glenn Shores
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Shores
      • Glenn Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Glenn Shores has also been known as:
      • Glenn Stores
    • Leisure
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure
      • Leisure is located in Allegan County
      • Leisure has also been known as:
      • East Casco
    • Glenn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Spring Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spring Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
    • Pullman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Ganges
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganges
      • Ganges is located in Allegan County
  • Berrien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Beach, with the one closest to Crystal Beach listed first.
    • Lake Michigan Beach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Michigan Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Michigan Beach
      • Lake Michigan Beach is located in Berrien County
    • Paw Paw Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw Lake
      • Paw Paw Lake is located in Berrien County
    • Coloma
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Watervliet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Riverside
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Berrien County
    • Twelve Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Twelve Corners. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
      • Twelve Corners is located in Berrien County
    • Mizpah Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mizpah Park
      • Mizpah Park is located in Berrien County
    • Benton Heights
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton Heights
      • Benton Heights is located in Berrien County
    • Benton Harbor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Fair Plain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Plain have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Plain
      • Fair Plain is located in Berrien County
    • Saint Joseph
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Naomi
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Naomi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
      • Naomi is located in Berrien County
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Beach, with the one closest to Crystal Beach listed first.
    • Dowagiac
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • La Grange
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
      • La Grange is located in Cass County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • Alamo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crystal Beach, with the one closest to Crystal Beach listed first.
    • Macatawa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Holland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Crystal Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Crystal Beach.

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

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

  • Hebrew Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hebrew Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hebrew Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Covert Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Fish Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fish Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chambers Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Emmanuel Home Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emmanuel Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emmanuel Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Stephenson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stephenson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stephenson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Monk Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Monk Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Monk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McDowell Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McDowell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McDowell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rush Lake Catholic Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rush Lake Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rush Lake Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Van Auken Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Van Auken Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Van Auken Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (159 more) ...
    • Taylor Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lacota Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lacota Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lacota Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Harris Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris 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.<5>

While we didn't find Crystal Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Crystal Beach.

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

  • South Haven
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Covert
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Toquin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toquin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toquin
    • Toquin is located in Van Buren County
  • Kibbie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
    • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
  • McDonald
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDonald have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
    • McDonald is located in Van Buren County
  • Bangor
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
    • Bangor is located in Van Buren County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <1>
  • Lacota
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
    • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
  • Hawkhead
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
    • Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
  • Coloma
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Watervliet
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Breedsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Bloomingdale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Grand Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Glenn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Riverside
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Berrien County

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

Newspapers Published in Crystal Beach ...

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 139 newspapers that have been published in the area around Crystal Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Crystal Beach, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Crystal Beach.

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 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 Crystal Beach:

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

The official website for Van Buren County: www.vbco.org/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

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>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.
<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>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.
<5>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 Crystal Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Crystal Beach) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Crystal Beach. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3567, Longitude: -86.2981       In this case, the coordinates for Crystal Beach have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025