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 Napier (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 Napier. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Napier 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 Napier. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Napier:
- Berrien County (The home county of Napier)
- The following are listed by their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- Naomi
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Shanghai Corners
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shanghai Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
- Hartman
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Sodus
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Coloma
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Watervliet
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Twelve Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Twelve Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
- Benton Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Benton Heights is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton Heights
- Eau Claire
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Paw Paw Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Paw Paw Lake is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw Lake
- Riverside
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Riverside is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Scottdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Scottdale is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottdale
- Benton Harbor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Allegan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- South Haven Highlands
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Miami Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Miami Park is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Park
- Miami Park has also been known as:
- Miami Park Beach
- Miomi Park Beach
- Mount Pleasant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Hawkhead
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
- Leisure
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Leisure is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure
- Leisure has also been known as:
- East Casco
- Cedar Bluff
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Cedar Bluff is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
- Glenn Haven Shores
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Glenn Haven Shores is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Haven Shores
- Glenn Haven Shores has also been known as:
- Hollywood
- Glenn Shores
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Glenn Shores is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Shores
- Glenn Shores has also been known as:
- Glenn Stores
- Pullman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Glenn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Spring Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- Dowagiac
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sumnerville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Sumnerville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
- Pokagon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- La Grange
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- La Grange is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Cassopolis
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Penn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Penn is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
- Wakelee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wakelee is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
- Brownsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brownsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Edwardsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vandalia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vandalia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Marcellus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Jones
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Corey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Corey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corey
- Saint Joseph County
- Chamberlain
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- Keeler
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Keeler is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeler
- Hartford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fish Corners
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
- Covert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lawrence
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Decatur
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bangor
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Breedsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- South Haven
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Glendale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Glendale is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Paw Paw
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lawton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Kibbie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
- Elkhart County (IN)
- Simonton Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
- LaPorte County (IN)
- Hesston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hesston is located in LaPorte County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesston
- Saint Joseph County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- Georgetown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Granger
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Indian Village
(26 miles [41.8 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
- Roseland
(26 miles [41.8 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
- South Bend
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Zeigler
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Zeigler is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
- New Carlisle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mishawaka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Napier, see our County-by-County Page for Napier.
Cemeteries Near Napier ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Napier.
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 Napier - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Napier covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- Pennyan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Byers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Zion EUB Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- St. Pauls UCC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Zion Evangelical Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Shanghai Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kniebes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cullinane Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Millburg Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pearl Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ely Graves
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (228 more) ...
- Keeler Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Boyer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Napier in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Napier.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Napier, with the one closest to Napier listed first.
- Spinks Corners
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Spinks Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks Corners
- Naomi
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Millburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Millburg is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburg
- Sister Lakes
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Sister Lakes is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sister Lakes
- Sodus
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Hartman
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Coloma
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Watervliet
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Twelve Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Twelve Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
- Eau Claire
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Riverside
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Riverside is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Vineland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Vineland is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Berrien Center
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Hartford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Benton Harbor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Napier. See our List of 1890's Communities around Napier.
Newspapers Published in Napier ...
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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Napier.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Napier, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Napier.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Napier:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Berrien County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegan County
- 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Napier, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Napier) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |