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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 Parchment (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 Parchment. 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.

Parchment is located in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County: Allegan, Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Saint Joseph & Van Buren.

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

  • Kalamazoo County     (The home county of Parchment)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • East Cooper
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • East Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cooper
    • Eastwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
    • Kalamazoo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Comstock
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
    • Westwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Westwood is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Milwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Milwood is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milwood
    • Richland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Galesburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Alamo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
    • Oshtemo
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Highland Park is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
    • Portage
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Plainwell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Neeley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Neeley is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neeley
    • Otsego
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hooper
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Hooper is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooper
    • Martin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Watson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Watson is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
    • Shelbyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Allegan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bradley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bradley is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Hopkins
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Monterey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • South Monterey is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monterey
    • Wayland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Barry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Doster
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Doster is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
    • Hickory Corners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Prairieville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Prairieville is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
    • Delton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Banfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Banfield is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banfield
    • Cloverdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Cloverdale is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Cedar Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Cedar Creek is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
    • Dowling
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Dowling is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling
    • Irving
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Irving is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
    • Hastings
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Maple Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Maple Grove is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Middleville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Branch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Sherwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sherwood is located in Branch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
    • Union City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Fort Custer
      (12 miles [19.3 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
    • Level Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Level Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Park
    • Oak Park
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Oak Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
    • Springfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • West Leroy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • West Leroy is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
    • Bedford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Sonoma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
    • Battle Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Verona Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Verona Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona Park
    • East Leroy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
    • Joppa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Joppa is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa
    • Beadle Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Beadle Lake is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beadle Lake
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Marcellus
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wakelee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wakelee is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
    • Corey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Corey is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corey
  • Eaton County
    • Bellevue
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Chamberlain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
    • Parkville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Parkville is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
    • Mendon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Mendon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendon <1>
    • Factoryville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Factoryville is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Factoryville
    • Leonidas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Three Rivers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Centreville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Centreville is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,400 people
    • Fairfax
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Fairfax is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
    • Wasepi
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Wasepi is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasepi
    • Nottawa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Colon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Colon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colon <1>
    • Fabius
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Fabius is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fabius
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parchment, with the one closest to Parchment listed first.
    • Kendall
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Kendall is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
    • North Lake
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
    • Mattawan
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Almena
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
    • Gobles
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lawton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Lawton is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,796 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawton <1>
    • Paw Paw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Glendale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Decatur
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Breedsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Lawrence
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Bloomingdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Parchment ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Parchment.

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

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

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

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 Parchment in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Parchment.

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

  • East Cooper
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • East Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cooper
  • Kalamazoo
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Comstock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
  • Cooper
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
  • Richland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Richland Junction
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Richland Junction is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Junction
  • Oshtemo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Galesburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Alamo
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
  • Portage
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Plainwell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Yorkville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cressey
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Cressey is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cressey
    • Doster
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Doster is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
    • Pavilion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Pavilion is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavilion

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Parchment ...

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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Parchment.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Parchment. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Parchment and those printed in the larger area surrounding Parchment.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4> of Parchment.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Parchment:

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 Parchment, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Parchment) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.