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 Eau Claire (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 Eau Claire. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Eau Claire:
- Berrien County (The home county of Eau Claire)
- The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Hartman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Berrien Center
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Shanghai Corners
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Shanghai Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
- Berrien Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Naomi
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Sodus
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Hinchman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hinchman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinchman
- Scottdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Scottdale is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottdale
- Baroda
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Fair Plain
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fair Plain is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Plain
- Niles
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Snow
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Snow is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Sumnerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sumnerville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
- Pokagon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- Dowagiac
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- La Grange
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- La Grange is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Cassopolis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Edwardsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brownsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Brownsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Penn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Penn is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
- Vandalia
(20 miles [32.2 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
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wakelee is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
- Marcellus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Jones
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Saint Joseph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Chamberlain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
- Fabius
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Fabius is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fabius
- Mottville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- 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 Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Keeler
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Keeler is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeler
- Hartford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fish Corners
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
- Decatur
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Covert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Bangor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lawton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Paw Paw
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Breedsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- South Haven
(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
- Elkhart County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Simonton Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
- Elkhart
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Jamestown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jamestown is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Dunlap
(30 miles [48.3 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 Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire 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
- Michiana Shores
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Joseph County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Georgetown
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Roseland
(18 miles [29 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
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Indian Village
(19 miles [30.6 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
- South Bend
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Zeigler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Zeigler is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
- New Carlisle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mishawaka
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Osceola
(24 miles [38.6 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Crumstown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumstown
- Gulivoire Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Gulivoire Park is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulivoire Park
- Nutwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Eau Claire, see our County-by-County Page for Eau Claire.
Cemeteries Near Eau Claire ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eau Claire.
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 Eau Claire - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Eau Claire covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Eau Claire Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- South Maple Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Ferry Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lett Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Shanghai Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Long Lake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Berrien Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ely Graves
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gilbert Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (232 more) ...
- Indian Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Salem Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Eau Claire had a population of 256 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Eau Claire had a population of 591 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
- Berrien Center
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hartman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Berrien Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Naomi
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Fairland
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Fairland is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Sodus
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Hinchman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hinchman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinchman
- Spinks Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Spinks Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks Corners
- Pokagon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- 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
- Hollywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Hollywood is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Millburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Millburg is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburg
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Dowagiac
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Derby
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Derby is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
- Niles
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Eau Claire. See our List of 1890's Communities around Eau Claire.
Newspapers Published in Eau Claire ...
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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eau Claire.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Eau Claire, 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 Eau Claire.
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 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 Eau Claire:
- 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 Eau Claire, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Eau Claire) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |