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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 Fort Custer (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 Fort Custer. 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 Fort Custer ...

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.

Prior to its current name of Fort Custer, it was known as Camp Custer.

  • A typical abbreviation for Fort Custer: Ft. Custer

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Fort Custer is located in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County: Barry, Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo & Saint Joseph.

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

  • Calhoun County     (The home county of Fort Custer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Custer, with the one closest to Fort Custer listed first.
    • Springfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Springfield is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,184 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springfield <2>
    • Level Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oak Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
      • Oak Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oak Park
      • From Fort Custer to Oak Park
    • West Leroy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Sonoma
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonoma
      • From Fort Custer to Sonoma
    • Battle Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Bedford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
    • Beadle Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Brownlee Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownlee Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
    • Verona Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Joppa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • East Leroy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Leroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
      • East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
    • Pennfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Allegan County
  • Barry County
  • Branch County
  • Eaton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Custer, with the one closest to Fort Custer listed first.
    • Bellevue
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Eaton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,299 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellevue <2>
    • Olivet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ainger
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Carlisle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Vermontville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vermontville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermontville
      • Vermontville is located in Eaton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 770 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vermontville <2>
    • Chester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Charlotte
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Custer, with the one closest to Fort Custer listed first.
    • Augusta
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Climax
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Galesburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • South Gull Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gull Lake
      • South Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Yorkville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yorkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yorkville
      • From Fort Custer to Yorkville
    • Highland Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Richland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <2>
    • Scotts
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
      • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <2>
    • Comstock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Pavillion Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Eastwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
      • Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
    • East Cooper
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Parchment
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parchment have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parchment
      • Parchment is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,825 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parchment <2>
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Custer, with the one closest to Fort Custer listed first.
    • Factoryville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Leonidas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Mendon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mendon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendon
      • Mendon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendon <2>
    • Colon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colon
      • Colon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colon <2>
    • Parkville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairfax
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Wasepi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Nottawa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Chamberlain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Centreville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Findley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Three Rivers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Rivers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
      • Three Rivers is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Rivers <2>
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fort Custer, with the one closest to Fort Custer listed first.
    • Mattawan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
    • Kendall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • North Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
    • Almena
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almena
      • From Fort Custer to Almena
    • Gobles
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Lawton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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>
    • Paw Paw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Fort Custer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Custer.

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

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

  • Lawler Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ft. Custer National Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Custer National Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Custer National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Post Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Post Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Post Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Covey Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Covey Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Covey Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bedford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bedford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bedford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bedford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bedford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bedford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Augusta Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Augusta Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Augusta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Charleston Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charleston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charleston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Memorial Park Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Youngs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Youngs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Youngs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (294 more) ...
    • Reese Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reese Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Howlandsburg Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howlandsburg Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howlandsburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bailey Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bailey Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bailey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 Fort Custer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fort Custer.

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

  • Climax
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Galesburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • West Leroy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Sonoma
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
    • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sonoma
    • From Fort Custer to Sonoma
  • Yorkville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yorkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Yorkville
    • From Fort Custer to Yorkville
  • Battle Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Bedford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
    • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
  • Richland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
    • Richland is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 847 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <2>
  • Scotts
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
    • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <2>
  • Hickory Corners
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Joppa
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Creek
    • Pine Creek is located in Calhoun County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • East Leroy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Leroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
      • East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
    • Comstock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Pavilion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pavilion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavilion
      • Pavilion is located in Kalamazoo County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Fort Custer ...

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 106 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Custer.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Fort Custer. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Fort Custer and those printed in the larger area surrounding Fort Custer.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6> of Fort Custer.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Fort Custer:

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

The official website for Calhoun County: www.calhoun-mi.com/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Fort Custer, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Fort Custer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fort Custer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3055, Longitude: -85.3172    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025