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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 Gobles (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 Gobles. 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 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.

Gobles 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 Gobles. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gobles:

  • Van Buren County     (The home county of Gobles)
  • Allegan County
  • Barry County
  • Berrien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gobles, with the one closest to Gobles listed first.
    • Paw Paw Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Watervliet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Coloma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Michigan Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Michigan Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Michigan Beach
      • Lake Michigan Beach is located in Berrien County
    • Riverside
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Riverside
      • From Gobles to Riverside
    • Naomi
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Naomi
      • From Gobles to Naomi
    • Twelve Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gobles, with the one closest to Gobles listed first.
    • Fort Custer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • 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.<2>
      • 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 Gobles to Fort Custer
    • Level Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gobles, with the one closest to Gobles listed first.
    • Marcellus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Wakelee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wakelee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
      • Wakelee is located in Cass County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wakelee
      • From Gobles to Wakelee
    • Penn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Dowagiac
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • La Grange
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Vandalia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gobles, with the one closest to Gobles listed first.
    • Alamo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Oshtemo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Westwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
      • Westwood is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Kalamazoo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • East Cooper
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Cooper. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cooper
      • East Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Cooper
      • From Gobles to East Cooper
    • Parchment
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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 <3>
    • Eastwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Milwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Portage
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Comstock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Richland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • 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 <3>
    • Schoolcraft
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Kent County
    • North Dorr
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dorr have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dorr
      • North Dorr is located in Kent County
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gobles, with the one closest to Gobles listed first.
    • Drenthe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Drenthe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
      • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Drenthe
      • From Gobles to Drenthe
    • Forest Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Saint Joseph County

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

Cemeteries Near Gobles ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gobles.

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

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

  • Robinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robinson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tucker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tucker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tucker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kendall Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kendall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kendall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Earl Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Earl Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Earl Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Austin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Austin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Austin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Base Line Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Base Line Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Base Line Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pecktown Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pecktown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pecktown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (273 more) ...
    • Almena Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Almena Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Almena Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lindsley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lindsley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lindsley 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Gobles had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Gobles had a population of 789 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gobles ...

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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gobles.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gobles. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gobles and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gobles.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<5> of Gobles.

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 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 Gobles:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gobles. 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>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>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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Gobles, 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 from Point A (ie- Gobles) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gobles. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3610, Longitude: -85.8790    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025