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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 Parnell (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 Parnell. 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 doctors 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.

Parnell is located in Kent 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 Kent County: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo & Ottawa.

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

  • Kent County     (The home county of Parnell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parnell, with the one closest to Parnell listed first.
    • Grattan
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cannonsburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Ada
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
      • Ada is located in Kent County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <1>
    • Forest Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
      • Forest Hills is located in Kent County
    • Lowell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Segwun
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Rockford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
      • Rockford is located in Kent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,395 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockford <1>
    • Northview
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northview
      • Northview is located in Kent County
    • Harvard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harvard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvard
      • Harvard is located in Kent County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harvard
      • From Parnell to Harvard
    • Sheffield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Belmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Edgerton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edgerton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton
      • Edgerton is located in Kent County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Edgerton
      • From Parnell to Edgerton
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parnell, with the one closest to Parnell listed first.
    • Moline
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Dorr
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Salem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Wayland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wayland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
      • Wayland is located in Allegan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,237 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wayland <1>
    • Bradley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Allegan County
    • Burnips
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hilliards
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Barry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parnell, with the one closest to Parnell listed first.
    • Freeport
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Barry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 503 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <1>
    • Middleville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Irving
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Woodland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Hastings
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Eaton County
  • Ionia County
  • Mecosta County
    • Morley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
      • Morley is located in Mecosta County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morley <1>
  • Montcalm County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parnell, with the one closest to Parnell listed first.
    • Greenville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
      • Greenville is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,386 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenville <1>
    • Eureka Place
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gowen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gowen have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen
      • Gowen is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowen <1>
    • Amsden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Trufant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trufant have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trufant
      • Trufant is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trufant <1>
    • Fenwick
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Pierson
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Langston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Langston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langston
      • Langston is located in Montcalm County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Langston
      • From Parnell to Langston
    • Sheridan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sidney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidney
      • Sidney is located in Montcalm County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sidney <1>
    • Coral
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Howard City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard City
      • Howard City is located in Montcalm County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,819 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howard City <1>
  • Muskegon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parnell, with the one closest to Parnell listed first.
    • Bailey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
      • Bailey is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bailey <1>
    • Canada Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Slocum
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Slocum. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum
      • Slocum is located in Muskegon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Slocum
      • From Parnell to Slocum
    • Ravenna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ravenna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenna
      • Ravenna is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ravenna <1>
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parnell, with the one closest to Parnell listed first.
    • Sun
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sun. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
      • Sun is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sun
      • From Parnell to Sun
    • Ashland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ashland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Ashland is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ashland
      • From Parnell to Ashland
    • Grant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Croton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Croton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croton
      • Croton is located in Newaygo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Croton
      • From Parnell to Croton
    • Riverview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
      • Riverview is located in Newaygo County
  • Ottawa County

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

Cemeteries Near Parnell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Parnell.

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

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

  • Parnell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parnell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parnell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cannon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cannon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cannon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grattan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grattan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grattan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Marshall Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marshall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Marshall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cannonsburg Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cannonsburg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cannonsburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Findlay Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Findlay Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Findlay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Vergennes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vergennes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vergennes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mason Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mason Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Krum Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Krum Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Krum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fox's Corner Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (290 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Fallass Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fallass Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fallass Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ashley Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Parnell had a population of 26 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Alton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
    • Alton is located in Kent County
  • Grattan
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Cannonsburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Fallassburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fallassburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallassburg
    • Fallassburg is located in Kent County
  • Ada
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ada have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ada
    • Ada is located in Kent County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ada <1>
  • Smyrna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smyrna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyrna
    • Smyrna is located in Ionia County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Smyrna <1>
  • Chauncey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chauncey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chauncey
    • Chauncey is located in Kent County
  • Lowell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Belding
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Rockford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
    • Rockford is located in Kent County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,395 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockford <1>
  • Evans
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evans have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
    • Evans is located in Kent County
  • Cascade
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cascade have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
    • Cascade is located in Kent County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Parnell ...

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 264 newspapers that have been published in the area around Parnell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Parnell, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Parnell.

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 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 Parnell:

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

The official website for Kent County: www.accesskent.com/

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>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.
<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 Parnell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Parnell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Parnell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.0434, Longitude: -85.4114       In this case, the coordinates for Parnell have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025