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 Mattawan (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 Mattawan. 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 and doctors 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.
Mattawan is located in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County: Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo & Saint Joseph.
Below are the counties that are near Mattawan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mattawan:
- Van Buren County (The home county of Mattawan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Almena
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Almena is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
- Lawton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Paw Paw
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- North Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- North Lake is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
- Kendall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Kendall is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
- Glendale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Glendale is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Gobles
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Decatur
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lawrence
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Breedsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bangor
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bloomingdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Grand Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Allegan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Otsego
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Plainwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Allegan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Watson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Watson is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Neeley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Neeley is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neeley
- Martin
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hooper
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Hooper is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooper
- Pullman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- South Monterey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- South Monterey is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monterey
- Leisure
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Leisure is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure
- Leisure has also been known as:
- East Casco
- Shelbyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hawkhead
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
- Spring Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Barry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Doster
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Doster is located in Barry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
- Hickory Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Prairieville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Prairieville is located in Barry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
- Delton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Banfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Banfield is located in Barry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banfield
- Cloverdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cloverdale is located in Barry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
- Berrien County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Paw Paw Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Paw Paw Lake is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw Lake
- Watervliet
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Coloma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Naomi
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Lake Michigan Beach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lake Michigan Beach is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Michigan Beach
- Berrien Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eau Claire
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hartman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Shanghai Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Shanghai Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
- Riverside
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Riverside is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Twelve Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Twelve Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Fort Custer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fort Custer is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Custer
- Former name for Fort Custer:
- Camp Custer
- West Leroy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- West Leroy is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
- Level Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Level Park is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Park
- Oak Park
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Oak Park is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
- Sonoma
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
- Springfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Athens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- East Leroy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
- Joppa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Joppa is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa
- Bedford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Marcellus
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Wakelee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Wakelee is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
- Penn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Penn is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
- Corey
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Corey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corey
- Jones
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Vandalia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Vandalia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- La Grange
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- La Grange is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Cassopolis
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Dowagiac
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Brownsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Brownsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Pokagon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- Union
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Sumnerville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sumnerville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
- Kalamazoo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Oshtemo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Westwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Westwood is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Portage
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Schoolcraft
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Milwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Milwood is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milwood
- Alamo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
- Kalamazoo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Eastwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
- Parchment
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Comstock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
- Vicksburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pavillion Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Pavillion Center is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavillion Center
- East Cooper
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cooper
- Saint Joseph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Chamberlain
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
- Parkville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Parkville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
- Three Rivers
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fabius
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Fabius is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fabius
- Mendon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Centreville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Centreville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,400 people
- Leonidas
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wasepi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wasepi is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasepi
- Constantine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Factoryville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Factoryville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Factoryville
- Nottawa
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mottville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Mottville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottville
- Fairfax
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfax is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mattawan, see our County-by-County Page for Mattawan.
Cemeteries Near Mattawan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mattawan.
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 Mattawan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mattawan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Virgo Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Harwick Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pretty Lake Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Almena Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- West Oshtemo Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bangs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Prospect Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Hope Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Clapp Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (312 more) ...
- St. Marys Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chamberlin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kern Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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 Mattawan had a population of 312 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Mattawan had a population of 1,973 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mattawan, with the one closest to Mattawan listed first.
- Almena
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Almena is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
- Lawton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Paw Paw
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Oshtemo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Schoolcraft
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Grove is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
- Portage
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Glendale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Glendale is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Kendall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Kendall is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
- Gobles
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kalamazoo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alamo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Decatur
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flowerfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Flowerfield is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowerfield
- Marcellus
(13 miles [20.9 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 Mattawan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mattawan.
Newspapers Published in Mattawan ...
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 228 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mattawan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mattawan, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mattawan.
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 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 Mattawan:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Van Buren County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegan County
- Barry County
- Berrien County
- Calhoun County
- Cass County
- Kalamazoo 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 Mattawan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mattawan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |