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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 Overisel (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 Overisel. 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.

Overisel is located in Allegan 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 Allegan County: Barry, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa & Van Buren.

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

  • Allegan County     (The home county of Overisel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overisel, with the one closest to Overisel listed first.
    • Fillmore
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Hamilton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Boyd
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Boyd is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
    • Diamond Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
    • Graafschap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
    • Burnips
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Burnips is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnips
      • Former name for Burnips:
      • Burnip's Corners
    • New Salem
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • New Salem is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
    • Fennville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Singapore ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Singapore is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singapore
    • Douglas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Saugatuck
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • South Monterey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • South Monterey is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monterey
    • Dorr
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Barry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overisel, with the one closest to Overisel listed first.
    • Middleville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Doster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Doster is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
    • Irving
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Irving is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
  • Kalamazoo County
    • Alamo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overisel, with the one closest to Overisel listed first.
    • North Dorr
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • North Dorr is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dorr
    • Byron Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Corinth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Corinth is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
    • Carlisle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Carlisle is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
    • Grandville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Burlingame Heights
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Burlingame Heights is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame Heights
    • Burlingame
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Burlingame is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
    • Cutlerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Beverly
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Beverly is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
    • Clyde Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Clyde Park is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde Park
    • Urbandale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Urbandale is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbandale
    • Wyoming
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Galewood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Galewood is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galewood
  • Muskegon County
    • Fruitport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overisel, with the one closest to Overisel listed first.
    • Zeeland
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Drenthe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
    • Holland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Waverly
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Waverly is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
    • Beechwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Beechwood is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
    • Noordeloos
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
    • Forest Grove Station
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Grove Station is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove Station
    • Forest Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
    • Jamestown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jamestown is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Macatawa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • South Blendon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • South Blendon is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Blendon
    • Hudsonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bauer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Bauer is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Overisel, with the one closest to Overisel listed first.
    • Bloomingdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Grand Junction
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lacota
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
    • Kibbie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
    • Breedsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Gobles
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • South Haven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kendall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Kendall is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
    • North Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
    • Bangor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bangor is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <1>
    • Glendale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale

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

Cemeteries Near Overisel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Overisel.

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 Overisel - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Overisel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • New Overisel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Old Overisel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Van Dam Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • East Holland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bentheim Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Overisel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Old Drenthe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • West Drenthe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Junction Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Zeeland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • New Groningen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (219 more) ...
    • Dowd Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Diamond Springs Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • East Drenthe Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Overisel had a population of 135 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Fillmore
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
  • Hamilton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Oakland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Oakland is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
  • East Saugatuck
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • East Saugatuck is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Saugatuck
  • Drenthe
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
  • Zeeland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Diamond Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
  • Vriesland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Vriesland is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vriesland
  • Holland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Graafschap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
  • New Richmond
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • New Richmond is located in Allegan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
  • Noordeloos
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Dunningville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Dunningville is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunningville
    • Forest Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
    • Beaverdam
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Beaverdam is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdam

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

Newspapers Published in Overisel ...

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 176 newspapers that have been published in the area around Overisel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Overisel, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Overisel.

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 helpful 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 Overisel:

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 Overisel, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Overisel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.