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

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 Pearl Grange (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 Pearl Grange. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Pearl Grange is located in Berrien 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 Berrien County: LaPorte (IN), Saint Joseph (IN), Cass & Van Buren.

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

  • Berrien County     (The home county of Pearl Grange)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl Grange, with the one closest to Pearl Grange listed first.
    • Twelve Corners
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Twelve Corners is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
    • Benton Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Benton Heights is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton Heights
    • Sodus
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Sodus is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
    • Shanghai Corners
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Shanghai Corners is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
    • Fair Plain
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Fair Plain is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Plain
    • Hartman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Hartman is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
    • Naomi
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Naomi is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
    • Scottdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Scottdale is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottdale
    • Benton Harbor
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Riverside
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Riverside is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Mizpah Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Mizpah Park is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mizpah Park
    • Saint Joseph
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Coloma
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Coloma is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,402 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coloma <1>
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl Grange, with the one closest to Pearl Grange listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • South Haven Highlands
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Miami Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Miami Park is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Park
      • Miami Park has also been known as:
      • Miami Park Beach
      • Miomi Park Beach
    • Cedar Bluff
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Bluff is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
    • Hawkhead
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
    • Leisure
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Leisure is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure
      • Leisure has also been known as:
      • East Casco
    • Glenn Haven Shores
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Glenn Haven Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Haven Shores
      • Glenn Haven Shores has also been known as:
      • Hollywood
    • Glenn Shores
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Glenn Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Shores
      • Glenn Shores has also been known as:
      • Glenn Stores
    • Glenn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Spring Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
    • Pullman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl Grange, with the one closest to Pearl Grange listed first.
    • Dowagiac
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sumnerville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Sumnerville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
    • Pokagon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Pokagon is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
    • La Grange
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • La Grange is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
    • Cassopolis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Penn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Penn is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
    • Edwardsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Wakelee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Wakelee is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
    • Brownsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Brownsville is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
    • Vandalia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Vandalia is located in Cass County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
    • Marcellus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl Grange, with the one closest to Pearl Grange listed first.
    • Keeler
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Keeler is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeler
    • Fish Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
    • Hartford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Covert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lawrence
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Decatur
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Bangor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • South Haven
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Breedsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Kibbie
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
    • Paw Paw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Glendale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
    • Lacota
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
  • Elkhart County (IN)
    • Simonton Lake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
  • LaPorte County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl Grange, with the one closest to Pearl Grange listed first.
    • Hesston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hesston is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesston
    • Smith
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Smith is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
  • Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl Grange, with the one closest to Pearl Grange listed first.
    • Georgetown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
    • Indian Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Roseland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
    • Granger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • New Carlisle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Zeigler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Zeigler is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
    • South Bend
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • South Bend is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101,868 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Bend <1>
    • Mishawaka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mishawaka is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mishawaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50,312 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mishawaka <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Pearl Grange ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pearl Grange.

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 Pearl Grange - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pearl Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Millburg Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • B'nai Sholom Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Shanghai Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Pennyan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Crystal Springs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Byers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Kniebes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Boyer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Morton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (212 more) ...
    • Riverview Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Scottdale Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Brant Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)

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

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

  • Spinks Corners
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Spinks Corners is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks Corners
  • Millburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Millburg is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburg
  • Twelve Corners
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Twelve Corners is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
  • Sodus
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Sodus is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
  • Hartman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Hartman is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
  • Naomi
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Naomi is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
  • Benton Harbor
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Vineland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Vineland is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vineland
  • Riverside
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Riverside is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
  • Saint Joseph
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hollywood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hollywood is also located in Berrien County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
  • Eau Claire
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Coloma
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Coloma is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,402 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coloma <1>
    • Glenlord
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Glenlord is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenlord
      • Glenlord has also been known as:
      • Glen Lord
    • Derby
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Derby is also located in Berrien County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby

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

Newspapers Published in Pearl Grange ...

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 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pearl Grange.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pearl Grange, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Pearl Grange.

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 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 Pearl Grange:

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 Pearl Grange, 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 from Point A (ie- Pearl Grange) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.