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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 Sawyer (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 Sawyer. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

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

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

  • Berrien County     (The home county of Sawyer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Shorewood - Tower Hills - Harbert
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • New Troy
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Harbert
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbert have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbert
      • Harbert is located in Berrien County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbert <2>
    • Hazelhurst
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hazelhurst. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelhurst
      • Hazelhurst is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hazelhurst
      • From Sawyer to Hazelhurst
    • Bridgman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Lakeside
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Glendora
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hills Corners
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Snow
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Snow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow
      • Snow is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Snow
      • From Sawyer to Snow
    • Avery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
      • Avery is located in Berrien County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Avery
      • From Sawyer to Avery
    • Three Oaks
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Oaks
      • Three Oaks is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,540 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Oaks <2>
    • Union Pier
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Pier have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Pier
      • Union Pier is located in Berrien County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Pier <2>
  • Cass County
  • Van Buren County
  • LaPorte County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Hesston
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Smith
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Rolling Prairie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Michiana Shores
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Michiana Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michiana Shores
      • Michiana Shores is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Michiana Shores <2>
    • Long Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
      • Long Beach is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,139 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Beach <2>
    • Pottawattamie Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottawattamie Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottawattamie Park
      • Pottawattamie Park is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
    • Trail Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trail Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trail Creek
      • Trail Creek is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,985 people
    • Michigan City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Waterford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waterford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
      • Waterford is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Waterford
      • From Sawyer to Waterford
    • La Porte
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Stillwell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stillwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stillwell
      • Stillwell is located in LaPorte County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stillwell
      • From Sawyer to Stillwell
    • Door Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Door Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Door Village
      • Door Village is located in LaPorte County (IN)
  • Porter County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Town-of-Pines
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Town-of-Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town-of-Pines
      • Town-of-Pines is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 688 people
    • Beverly Shores
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beverly Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Shores
      • Beverly Shores is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 595 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beverly Shores <2>
    • Dune Acres
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dune Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dune Acres
      • Dune Acres is located in Porter County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
  • Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • New Carlisle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Carlisle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Carlisle
      • New Carlisle is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Carlisle <2>
    • Zeigler
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Crumstown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crumstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumstown
      • Crumstown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crumstown
      • From Sawyer to Crumstown
    • Roseland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
      • Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
    • Georgetown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Georgetown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
      • Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • Indian Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
      • Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • South Bend
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • North Liberty
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Liberty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
      • North Liberty is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,909 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Liberty <2>
    • Gulivoire Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Nutwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nutwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
      • Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nutwood
      • From Sawyer to Nutwood
    • Granger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Mishawaka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Sawyer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sawyer.

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

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

  • New Troy Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Troy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Troy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • California School Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the California School Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the California School Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bridgman Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bridgman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bridgman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Glendora Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendora Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendora Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Graceland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Germinder & Ward Graves
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Germinder & Ward Graves
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Germinder & Ward Graves have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Galien Twp. Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Boyle Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (172 more) ...
    • Hinman Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hinman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hinman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ruggles Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruggles Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruggles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Basswood Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Basswood Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Basswood 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 Sawyer had a population of 22 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Harbert
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbert have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbert
    • Harbert is located in Berrien County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbert <2>
  • New Troy
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Lakeside
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Bridgman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Glendora
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Union Pier
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Pier have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Pier
    • Union Pier is located in Berrien County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Pier <2>
  • Three Oaks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Oaks
    • Three Oaks is located in Berrien County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,540 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Oaks <2>
  • Avery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery
    • Avery is located in Berrien County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Avery
    • From Sawyer to Avery
  • Livingston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Livingston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
    • Livingston is located in Berrien County
  • Galien
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hesston
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Dayton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dayton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
    • Dayton is located in Berrien County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Dayton
    • From Sawyer to Dayton
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Sawyer ...

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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sawyer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sawyer, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sawyer.

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 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 Sawyer:

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

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Sawyer, 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- Sawyer) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sawyer. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.8855, Longitude: -86.5897    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025