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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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Overisel is located in Allegan 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 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
      • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
    • Hamilton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Diamond Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
      • Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
    • Graafschap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
      • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
    • Burnips
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnips
      • Burnips is located in Allegan County
      • Former name for Burnips:
      • Burnip's Corners
    • New Salem
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • New Salem is located in Allegan County
    • Fennville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Singapore ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Singapore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singapore
      • Singapore is located in Allegan County
    • Douglas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Saugatuck
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saugatuck have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saugatuck
      • Saugatuck is located in Allegan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 966 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saugatuck <1>
    • Dorr
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Ganges
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganges
      • Ganges is located in Allegan County
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleville
      • Middleville is located in Barry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,510 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middleville <1>
    • Doster
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
      • Doster is located in Barry County
    • Irving
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
      • Irving is located in Barry County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • Alamo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dorr have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dorr
      • North Dorr is located in Kent County
    • Byron Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Corinth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corinth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
      • Corinth is located in Kent County
    • Carlisle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlisle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
      • Carlisle is located in Kent County
    • Grandville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Burlingame Heights
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame Heights
      • Burlingame Heights is located in Kent County
    • Burlingame
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
      • Burlingame is located in Kent County
    • Cutlerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutlerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutlerville
      • Cutlerville is located in Kent County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cutlerville <1>
    • Beverly
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
      • Beverly is located in Kent County
    • Clyde Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde Park
      • Clyde Park is located in Kent County
    • Urbandale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbandale
      • Urbandale is located in Kent County
    • Wyoming
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Muskegon County
    • Fruitport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fruitport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitport
      • Fruitport is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fruitport <1>
  • 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)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drenthe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
      • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
    • Holland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Waverly
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waverly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Ottawa County
    • Beechwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beechwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
      • Beechwood is located in Ottawa County
    • Noordeloos
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
      • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
    • Forest Grove Station
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove Station
      • Forest Grove Station is located in Ottawa County
    • Jamestown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Ottawa County
    • Macatawa
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • South Blendon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Blendon
      • South Blendon is located in Ottawa County
    • Hudsonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bauer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bauer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
      • Bauer is located in Ottawa County
  • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
    • Kibbie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
    • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
      • Kendall is located in Van Buren County
    • North Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
    • Bangor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Van Buren County
      • 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)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Overisel, see our County-by-County Page for 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]<3>. 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 like to start with 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 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.

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 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)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Overisel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Overisel Cemetery
  • Old Overisel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Overisel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Overisel Cemetery
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
  • Van Dam Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Van Dam Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Van Dam Family Cemetery
  • East Holland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Holland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Holland Cemetery
  • Bentheim Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bentheim Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bentheim Cemetery
  • Overisel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Overisel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Overisel Cemetery
  • Old Drenthe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Drenthe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Drenthe Cemetery
  • West Drenthe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Junction Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Junction Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Junction Cemetery
  • Zeeland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • New Groningen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Groningen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Groningen Cemetery
  • Continue List   (219 more) ...
    • Dowd Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dowd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dowd Cemetery
    • Diamond Springs Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Diamond Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Diamond Springs Cemetery
    • East Drenthe Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Drenthe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Drenthe Cemetery

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 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)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
  • Hamilton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Oakland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Oakland is located in Allegan County
  • East Saugatuck
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Saugatuck have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Saugatuck
    • East Saugatuck is located in Allegan County
  • Drenthe
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drenthe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
    • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
  • Zeeland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Diamond Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
    • Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
  • Vriesland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vriesland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vriesland
    • Vriesland is located in Ottawa County
  • Holland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Graafschap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
    • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
  • New Richmond
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Richmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
    • New Richmond is located in Allegan County
  • Noordeloos
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
    • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Dunningville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunningville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunningville
      • Dunningville is located in Allegan County
    • Forest Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
      • Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
    • Beaverdam
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaverdam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdam
      • Beaverdam is located in Ottawa County

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.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Overisel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Allegan County: www.allegancounty.org/

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>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.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Overisel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Overisel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.7284, Longitude: -86.0098       In this case, the coordinates for Overisel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Overisel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024