RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Michigan >> Berrien County >> Niles >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Michigan

The Commemorative Quarter for Michigan





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 Niles (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 Niles. 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 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.

Niles is primarily located in Berrien County. A portion of Niles extends into Cass 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 Berrien County: LaPorte (IN), Saint Joseph (IN), Cass & Van Buren.

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

  • Berrien County     (The home county of Niles)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niles, with the one closest to Niles listed first.
    • Buchanan
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Bakertown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bakertown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakertown
      • Bakertown is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bakertown
      • From Niles to Bakertown
    • Berrien Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Center
      • Berrien Center is located in Berrien County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Center <1>
    • Berrien Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Springs
      • Berrien Springs is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Springs <1>
    • Dayton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dayton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dayton
      • From Niles to Dayton
    • Eau Claire
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eau Claire have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Claire
      • Eau Claire is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eau Claire <1>
    • Hills Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Galien
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Glendora
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Hartman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hartman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
      • Hartman is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hartman
      • From Niles to Hartman
    • Hinchman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Snow
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Snow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow
      • Snow is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Snow
      • From Niles to Snow
  • Cass County
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niles, with the one closest to Niles listed first.
    • Mottville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Fabius
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Constantine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Constantine have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Constantine
      • Constantine is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Constantine <1>
    • Chamberlain
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Van Buren County
  • Elkhart County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niles, with the one closest to Niles listed first.
    • Simonton Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simonton Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
      • Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Elkhart
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jamestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Garden Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
      • Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Dunlap
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunlap have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
      • Dunlap is located in Elkhart County (IN)
    • Bristol
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
      • Bristol is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,697 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bristol <1>
    • Wakarusa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakarusa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakarusa
      • Wakarusa is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wakarusa <1>
    • Southwest
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Southwest. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwest
      • Southwest is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Southwest
      • From Niles to Southwest
    • Foraker
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Goshen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goshen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Goshen is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34,168 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Goshen <1>
    • Nappanee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Middlebury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middlebury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlebury
      • Middlebury is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,608 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middlebury <1>
  • LaPorte County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niles, with the one closest to Niles listed first.
    • Rolling Prairie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hesston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Smith
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Kankakee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kankakee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kankakee
      • Kankakee is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kankakee
      • From Niles to Kankakee
    • Stillwell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stillwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stillwell
      • Stillwell is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stillwell
      • From Niles to Stillwell
    • La Porte
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Michiana Shores
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Michiana Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michiana Shores
      • Michiana Shores is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Michiana Shores <1>
    • Kingsbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingsbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsbury
      • Kingsbury is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 239 people
  • Marshall County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niles, with the one closest to Niles listed first.
    • La Paz
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Bremen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bremen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bremen
      • Bremen is located in Marshall County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,450 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bremen <1>
    • Tyner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niles, with the one closest to Niles listed first.
    • Georgetown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • Roseland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
    • Indian Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Granger
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • South Bend
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Mishawaka
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Zeigler
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Osceola
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
      • Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <1>
    • Gulivoire Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • New Carlisle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Carlisle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Carlisle
      • New Carlisle is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Carlisle <1>
    • Nutwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nutwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
      • Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nutwood
      • From Niles to Nutwood
    • Crumstown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crumstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumstown
      • Crumstown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crumstown
      • From Niles to Crumstown
  • Starke County (IN)
    • Koontz Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Koontz Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koontz Lake
      • Koontz Lake is located in Starke County (IN)

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

Cemeteries Near Niles ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Niles.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Springbrook Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Springbrook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Springbrook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Silverbrook Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Ann Beason Purdy Groves
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ann Beason Purdy Groves
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ann Beason Purdy Groves have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Father Allouez Grave Site
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Father Allouez Grave Site
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Father Allouez Grave Site have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dick Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harrah Road Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrah Road Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrah Road Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bertrand Protestant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bertrand Protestant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bertrand Protestant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Truitt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Barron Lake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (261 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Niles had a population of 4,197 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Niles had a population of 11,093 people.

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

  • Fairland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
    • Fairland is located in Berrien County
  • Buchanan
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Pokagon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Berrien Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Center have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Center
    • Berrien Center is located in Berrien County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Center <1>
  • Dayton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dayton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
    • Dayton is located in Berrien County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Dayton
    • From Niles to Dayton
  • Granger
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Edwardsburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edwardsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsburg
    • Edwardsburg is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,241 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edwardsburg <1>
  • Berrien Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berrien Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrien Springs
    • Berrien Springs is located in Berrien County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,718 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berrien Springs <1>
  • Dailey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dailey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dailey
    • Dailey is located in Cass County
  • Eau Claire
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eau Claire have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eau Claire
    • Eau Claire is located in Berrien County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eau Claire <1>
  • South Bend
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Mishawaka
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Niles ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Niles.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Niles. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Niles and those printed in the larger area surrounding Niles.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6> of Niles.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Niles:

The official website for Niles: www.ci.niles.mi.us/

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

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>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>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.
<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 Niles, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Niles) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Niles. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8300, Longitude: -86.2540    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025