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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 Dowagiac (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 Dowagiac. 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.

Dowagiac is located in Cass 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 Cass County: Elkhart (IN), Saint Joseph (IN), Berrien, Saint Joseph & Van Buren.

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

  • Cass County     (The home county of Dowagiac)
  • Berrien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dowagiac, with the one closest to Dowagiac listed first.
    • Naomi
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
      • Naomi is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Naomi
      • From Dowagiac to Naomi
    • Berrien Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Center
      • Berrien Center is located in Berrien County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Center <1>
    • Eau Claire
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eau Claire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Claire
      • Eau Claire is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eau Claire <1>
    • Hartman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hartman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
      • Hartman is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hartman
      • From Dowagiac to Hartman
    • Shanghai Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Niles
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Berrien Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Springs
      • Berrien Springs is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Springs <1>
    • Sodus
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sodus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
      • Sodus is located in Berrien County
    • Watervliet
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Buchanan
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hinchman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Coloma
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Kalamazoo County
  • Saint Joseph County
  • Van Buren County
  • Elkhart County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dowagiac, with the one closest to Dowagiac listed first.
    • Simonton Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simonton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
      • Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Elkhart
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Garden Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
      • Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Bristol
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Bristol is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,697 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bristol <1>
    • Jamestown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Dunlap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunlap have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
      • Dunlap is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Middlebury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlebury have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dowagiac, with the one closest to Dowagiac listed first.
    • Granger
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Georgetown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • Indian Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Roseland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
    • Mishawaka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Osceola
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <1>
    • South Bend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Gulivoire Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Zeigler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Nutwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nutwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
      • Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nutwood
      • From Dowagiac to Nutwood
    • New Carlisle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Carlisle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Carlisle
      • New Carlisle is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Carlisle <1>
    • Crumstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crumstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumstown
      • Crumstown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crumstown
      • From Dowagiac to Crumstown

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

Cemeteries Near Dowagiac ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dowagiac.

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

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

  • Burlington Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burlington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burlington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • California Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the California Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the California Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dewey Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dewey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dewey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gage Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gage Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gage Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Van Riper Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Brady Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brady Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brady Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Schulte Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Whitmanville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitmanville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitmanville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sacred Heart of Mary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart of Mary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart of Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Red Mill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Mill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Mill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (298 more) ...
    • Indian Lake Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Lake Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pokagon Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pokagon Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pokagon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • North Wayne Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Wayne Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Wayne Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Dowagiac had a population of 2,806 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Dowagiac had a population of 5,565 people.

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

  • La Grange
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Pokagon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Dailey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dailey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dailey
    • Dailey is located in Cass County
  • Glenwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Glenwood is located in Cass County
  • Cassopolis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Sister Lakes
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sister Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sister Lakes
    • Sister Lakes is located in Van Buren County
  • Berrien Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Center
    • Berrien Center is located in Berrien County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Center <1>
  • Volinia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Volinia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volinia
    • Volinia is located in Cass County
  • Naomi
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
    • Naomi is located in Berrien County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Naomi
    • From Dowagiac to Naomi
  • Penn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Eau Claire
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eau Claire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Claire
    • Eau Claire is located in Berrien County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eau Claire <1>
  • Fairland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
    • Fairland is located in Berrien County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Brownsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Cass County
    • Vandalia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
      • Vandalia is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
    • Decatur
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Decatur have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur
      • Decatur is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,716 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Decatur <1>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Dowagiac ...

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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dowagiac.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Dowagiac. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Dowagiac and those printed in the larger area surrounding Dowagiac.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6> of Dowagiac.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Dowagiac:

The official website for Dowagiac: www.cityofdowagiac.com/

The official website for Cass County: www.casscountymi.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>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.
<3>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.
<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 Dowagiac, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Dowagiac) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dowagiac. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9838, Longitude: -86.1090    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025