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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 Urbandale (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 Urbandale. 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 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.

Urbandale is located in Calhoun County.

To see how the shape of Michigan's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Calhoun County: Barry, Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo & Saint Joseph.

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

  • Calhoun County     (The home county of Urbandale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Oak Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Oak Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
    • Springfield
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Level Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Level Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Park
    • Bedford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Verona Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Verona Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona Park
    • Battle Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Custer
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Fort Custer is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Custer
      • Former name for Fort Custer:
      • Camp Custer
    • Brownlee Park
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
    • Pennfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Pennfield is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennfield
    • Beadle Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Beadle Lake is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beadle Lake
    • Sonoma
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
    • West Leroy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • West Leroy is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Neeley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Neeley is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neeley
    • Hooper
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hooper is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooper
    • Plainwell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Martin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Otsego
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Shelbyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Watson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Watson is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
    • Bradley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Bradley is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Wayland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Barry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Banfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Banfield is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banfield
    • Hickory Corners
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dowling
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Dowling is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling
    • Cedar Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Creek is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek
    • Delton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Maple Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Maple Grove is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
    • Cloverdale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cloverdale is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverdale
    • Prairieville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Prairieville is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prairieville
    • Doster
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Doster is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
    • Morgan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Morgan is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
    • Nashville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Hastings
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Branch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Union City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Sherwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Sherwood is located in Branch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
    • Girard
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Girard is located in Branch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard
    • Hodunk
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Hodunk is located in Branch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodunk
    • Matteson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Matteson is located in Branch County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matteson
  • Eaton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Bellevue
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Olivet
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Ainger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Ainger is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ainger
    • Carlisle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Carlisle is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
    • Vermontville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Chester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Chester is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
    • Charlotte
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gresham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Gresham is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gresham
    • Stalls Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Stalls Corner is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stalls Corner
    • Little Venice
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Little Venice is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Venice
    • Charlesworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Charlesworth is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesworth
    • Woodbury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Woodbury is located in Eaton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
  • Ionia County
    • Lake Odessa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Devereaux
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Devereaux is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devereaux
    • Springport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Augusta
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • South Gull Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • South Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gull Lake
    • Yorkville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Climax
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Climax is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
    • Galesburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Highland Park is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Park
    • Richland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Scotts
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Comstock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
    • Pavillion Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Pavillion Center is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavillion Center
    • East Cooper
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • East Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cooper
    • Eastwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Factoryville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Factoryville is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Factoryville
    • Leonidas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Mendon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mendon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendon <1>
    • Colon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Colon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colon <1>
    • Parkville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Parkville is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
    • Fairfax
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Fairfax is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfax
    • Wasepi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Wasepi is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasepi
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Urbandale, with the one closest to Urbandale listed first.
    • Kendall
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Kendall is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendall
    • Mattawan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • North Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
    • Almena
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena

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

Cemeteries Near Urbandale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Urbandale.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Urbandale - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bedford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Bedford Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Holiday Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Covey Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Reese Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Haskell Home Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Bedford Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Ft. Custer National Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Sunset Gardens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Memorial Park Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Youngs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Post Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (293 more) ...
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Hill Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Oak Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Battle Creek.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1260 <2>

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Urbandale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Urbandale.

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

  • Bedford
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Battle Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Banfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Banfield is located in Barry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banfield
  • Sonoma
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
  • Yorkville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
  • Galesburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Climax
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Climax is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
  • West Leroy
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • West Leroy is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
  • Assyria
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Assyria is located in Barry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assyria
  • Hickory Corners
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Ceresco
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ceresco is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceresco
  • Lacey
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Lacey is located in Barry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Richland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Joppa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Joppa is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa
    • Dowling
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Dowling is located in Barry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowling

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

Newspapers Published in Urbandale ...

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 201 newspapers that have been published in the area around Urbandale.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Urbandale:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Urbandale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Urbandale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.