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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 Plainwell (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 Plainwell. 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 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.

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

  • Allegan County     (The home county of Plainwell)
  • Barry County
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plainwell, with the one closest to Plainwell listed first.
    • Level Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Fort Custer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Custer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Custer
      • Fort Custer is located in Calhoun County
      • Former name for Fort Custer:
      • Camp Custer
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fort Custer
      • From Plainwell to Fort Custer
    • Oak Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oak Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
      • Oak Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oak Park
      • From Plainwell to Oak Park
    • Bedford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <1>
    • Springfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Springfield is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,184 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springfield <1>
    • West Leroy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Leroy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
      • West Leroy is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Leroy
      • From Plainwell to West Leroy
    • Battle Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Verona Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Sonoma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonoma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonoma
      • From Plainwell to Sonoma
    • Brownlee Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownlee Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
    • Pennfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Beadle Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • East Leroy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Leroy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
      • East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
  • Cass County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plainwell, with the one closest to Plainwell listed first.
    • Alamo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • East Cooper
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Parchment
      (8 miles [12.9 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>
    • Westwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Kalamazoo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Eastwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
      • Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Richland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <1>
    • Highland Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Oshtemo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Comstock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
    • South Gull Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gull Lake
      • South Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Yorkville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yorkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yorkville
      • From Plainwell to Yorkville
    • Milwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Plainwell, with the one closest to Plainwell listed first.
    • Corinth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Corinth
      • From Plainwell to Corinth
    • North Dorr
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Caledonia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Byron Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Carlisle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carlisle
      • From Plainwell to Carlisle
    • Cutlerville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Dutton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Kentwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kentwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentwood
      • Kentwood is located in Kent County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 51,719 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kentwood <1>
  • Ottawa County
  • Saint Joseph County
  • Van Buren County

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

Cemeteries Near Plainwell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plainwell.

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

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

  • Hillside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Ives Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ives Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ives Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Margaret Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Margaret Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Margaret Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Bower Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Bower Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Bower Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mountain Home Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Martin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Martin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alamo Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alamo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alamo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cooper Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cooper Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Cooper Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hicks Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (298 more) ...

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 Plainwell had a population of 1,414 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Plainwell had a population of 3,774 people.

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

  • Otsego
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cooper
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooper have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
    • Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Alamo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Doster
    (5 miles [8 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
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Doster
    • From Plainwell to Doster
  • Hooper
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hooper. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooper
    • Hooper is located in Allegan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hooper
    • From Plainwell to Hooper
  • Martin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • East Cooper
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Richland Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Junction
    • Richland Junction is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Watson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cressey
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cressey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cressey
    • Cressey is located in Barry County
  • Kendall
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Kalamazoo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Richland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <1>
    • Prairieville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Shelbyville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Plainwell ...

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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plainwell.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Plainwell. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Plainwell and those printed in the larger area surrounding Plainwell.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6> of Plainwell.

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 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 Plainwell:

The official website for Plainwell: www.plainwell.org/

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 Plainwell, 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 from Point A (ie- Plainwell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Plainwell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4428, Longitude: -85.6418    









 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025