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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 Pearl (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. 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.

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

  • Allegan County     (The home county of Pearl)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl, with the one closest to Pearl listed first.
    • Fennville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Pullman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Spring Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spring Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
    • Leisure
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure
      • Leisure is located in Allegan County
      • Leisure has also been known as:
      • East Casco
    • Ganges
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganges
      • Ganges is located in Allegan County
    • Hawkhead
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
      • Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
    • Glenn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Douglas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Bluff
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
      • Cedar Bluff is located in Allegan County
    • Glenn Haven Shores
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Haven Shores
      • Glenn Haven Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Glenn Haven Shores has also been known as:
      • Hollywood
    • Glenn Shores
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Shores
      • Glenn Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Glenn Shores has also been known as:
      • Glenn Stores
    • Miami Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Park
      • Miami Park is located in Allegan County
      • Miami Park has also been known as:
      • Miami Park Beach
      • Miomi Park Beach
  • Barry County
    • Doster
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Doster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
      • Doster is located in Barry County
  • Berrien County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl, with the one closest to Pearl listed first.
    • Paw Paw Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw Lake
      • Paw Paw Lake is located in Berrien County
    • Watervliet
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Coloma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lake Michigan Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Michigan Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Michigan Beach
      • Lake Michigan Beach is located in Berrien County
    • Riverside
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Berrien County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl, with the one closest to Pearl listed first.
    • Alamo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Alamo is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Oshtemo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oshtemo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oshtemo
      • Oshtemo is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oshtemo <1>
    • Westwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
      • Westwood is located in Kalamazoo County
    • East Cooper
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Cooper. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cooper
      • East Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Parchment
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parchment have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parchment
      • Parchment is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,825 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parchment <1>
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl, with the one closest to Pearl listed first.
    • North Dorr
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Dorr have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Dorr
      • North Dorr is located in Kent County
    • Byron Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Corinth
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Corinth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
      • Corinth is located in Kent County
    • Carlisle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carlisle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
      • Carlisle is located in Kent County
    • Cutlerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutlerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
    • Grandville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl, with the one closest to Pearl listed first.
    • Holland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Macatawa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Beechwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beechwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
      • Beechwood is located in Ottawa County
    • Waverly
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waverly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Ottawa County
    • Drenthe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Drenthe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
      • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
    • Zeeland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Noordeloos
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
      • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
    • Forest Grove Station
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove Station
      • Forest Grove Station is located in Ottawa County
    • Forest Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
      • Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
    • Jamestown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Ottawa County
    • Port Sheldon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Sheldon
      • Port Sheldon is located in Ottawa County
    • Hudsonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pearl, with the one closest to Pearl listed first.
    • Bloomingdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Grand Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Lacota
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
    • Kibbie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
    • Breedsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • South Haven
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bangor
      (15 miles [24.1 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>
    • Gobles
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Glendale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County
    • Kendall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
      • Kendall is located in Van Buren County
    • Covert
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • North Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County

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

Cemeteries Near Pearl ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pearl.

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

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

  • Pearl Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pearl Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pearl Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stuller Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stuller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stuller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fennville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fennville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fennville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Valley Twp. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hutchins Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hutchins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hutchins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Loomis Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Loomis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Loomis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lee Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lee Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lee Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Manlius Twp. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taylor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rowe Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rowe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rowe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Junction Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Junction Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Junction Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (193 more) ...
    • Plummerville Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plummerville Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plummerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • McDowell Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McDowell Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McDowell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Stephenson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stephenson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stephenson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 in 1895, Pearl had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Bravo
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bravo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bravo
    • Bravo is located in Allegan County
  • Fennville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Spring Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spring Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
    • Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
  • Lee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee
    • Lee is located in Allegan County
  • Ganges
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganges
    • Ganges is located in Allegan County
  • Glenn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Hawkhead
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
    • Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
  • New Richmond
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Richmond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
    • New Richmond is located in Allegan County
  • Dunningville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunningville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunningville
    • Dunningville is located in Allegan County
  • Douglas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • East Saugatuck
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Saugatuck have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Saugatuck
    • East Saugatuck is located in Allegan County
  • Kibbie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
    • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Lacota
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
    • Bloomingdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Grand Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Pearl ...

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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Pearl.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Pearl, 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 Pearl.

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 Pearl:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Pearl. 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>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.
<3>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.
<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 Pearl, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Pearl) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pearl. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.5420, Longitude: -86.0928       In this case, the coordinates for Pearl have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025