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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 Portage (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 Portage. 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.

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

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

  • Kalamazoo County     (The home county of Portage)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Milwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pavillion Center
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Kalamazoo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Oshtemo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Schoolcraft
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Vicksburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Eastwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Westwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Comstock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Parchment
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Scotts
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
      • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <1>
    • East Cooper
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • 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
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Cooper
      • From Portage to East Cooper
  • Allegan County
  • Barry County
  • Branch County
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • West Leroy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • 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 Portage to West Leroy
    • Fort Custer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 Portage to Fort Custer
    • Sonoma
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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 Portage to Sonoma
    • East Leroy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Joppa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Level Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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 Portage to Oak Park
    • Springfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Athens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
      • Athens is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <1>
    • Battle Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Beadle Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Bedford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
  • Cass County
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Parkville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Chamberlain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mendon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mendon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendon
      • Mendon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendon <1>
    • Three Rivers
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Rivers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Rivers
      • Three Rivers is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,600 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Rivers <1>
    • Factoryville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Leonidas
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Centreville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Wasepi
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Nottawa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Fairfax
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fabius
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Colon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colon
      • Colon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colon <1>
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Mattawan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawan
      • Mattawan is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,973 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mattawan <1>
    • Almena
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Almena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almena
      • From Portage to Almena
    • Lawton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Lawton is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,796 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawton <1>
    • North Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Kendall
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Paw Paw
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Gobles
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Decatur
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Decatur have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur
      • Decatur is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,716 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Decatur <1>
    • Glendale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Lawrence
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Breedsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Bangor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Portage ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portage.

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

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

  • Portage Central Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Portage Central Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Portage Central Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Portage South Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Portage South Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Portage South Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dry Prairie Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dry Prairie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dry Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Indian Fields Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Fields Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Fields Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Ever-Rest Memorial Park South
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harrison Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Schoolcraft Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schoolcraft Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schoolcraft Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gourdneck Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gourdneck Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gourdneck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Westnedge Park Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westnedge Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westnedge Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (293 more) ...
    • Genesee Prairie Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Genesee Prairie Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Genesee Prairie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Schoolcraft Twp. Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schoolcraft Twp. Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schoolcraft Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jewish Mountain Home Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jewish Mountain Home Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jewish Mountain Home 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 Portage had a population of 53 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Portage had a population of 49,787 people.

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

  • Schoolcraft
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Vicksburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Pavilion
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pavilion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavilion
    • Pavilion is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Kalamazoo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Oshtemo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Comstock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Flowerfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flowerfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowerfield
    • Flowerfield is located in Saint Joseph County
  • Scotts
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
    • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <1>
  • Galesburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • East Cooper
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • 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
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to East Cooper
    • From Portage to East Cooper
  • Mattawan
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawan
    • Mattawan is located in Van Buren County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,973 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mattawan <1>
  • Parkville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cooper
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Almena
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Almena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almena
      • From Portage to Almena
    • Howardsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howardsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
      • Howardsville is located in Saint Joseph County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Portage ...

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 107 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portage.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Portage. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Portage and those printed in the larger area surrounding Portage.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6> of Portage.

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 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 Portage:

The official website for Portage: www.portagemi.com/

The official website for Kalamazoo County: www.kalcounty.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>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 Portage, 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- Portage) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Portage. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2010, Longitude: -85.5894    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025