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 Vandalia (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 Vandalia. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Vandalia is located in Cass 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 Cass County: Elkhart (IN), Saint Joseph (IN), Berrien, Saint Joseph & Van Buren.
Below are the counties that are near Vandalia. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vandalia:
- Cass County (The home county of Vandalia)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Penn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Penn is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
- Brownsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brownsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Wakelee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wakelee is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
- Cassopolis
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jones
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- La Grange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- La Grange is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Corey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Corey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corey
- Marcellus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Union
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dowagiac
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Edwardsburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pokagon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Pokagon is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
- Sumnerville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sumnerville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
- Berrien County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Berrien Center
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Niles
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Naomi
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Naomi is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
- Eau Claire
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Berrien Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hartman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hartman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
- Shanghai Corners
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Shanghai Corners is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
- Buchanan
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Sodus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Sodus is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
- Watervliet
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bakertown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bakertown is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakertown
- Hinchman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Hinchman is located in Berrien County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinchman
- Coloma
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kalamazoo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Schoolcraft
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Vicksburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Portage
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oshtemo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Milwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Milwood is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milwood
- Pavillion Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pavillion Center is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavillion Center
- Kalamazoo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Westwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Westwood is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Saint Joseph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Fabius
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fabius is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fabius
- Mottville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mottville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottville
- Chamberlain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
- Constantine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Three Rivers
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- White Pigeon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Centreville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Centreville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centreville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,400 people
- Bluff Beach
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Bluff Beach is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Beach
- Parkville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Parkville is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
- Oakwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Klingers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Klingers is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klingers
- Nottawa
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Wasepi
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- 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 Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Decatur
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lawton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Keeler
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Keeler is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keeler
- Paw Paw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lawrence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Mattawan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hartford
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Almena
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Almena is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
- Glendale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Glendale is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Bangor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- North Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- North Lake is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
- Breedsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Fish Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
- Elkhart County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Simonton Lake
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
- Bristol
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Garden Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Elkhart
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Dunlap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Dunlap is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap
- Jamestown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Jamestown is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
- Middlebury
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Goshen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Southwest
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Southwest is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwest
- Foraker
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Foraker is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foraker
- Wakarusa
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bainter Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bainter Town is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainter Town
- Benton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Benton is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- LaGrange County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Scott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Scott is located in LaGrange County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott
- Shipshewana
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Seyberts
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Seyberts is located in LaGrange County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seyberts
- Howe
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Joseph County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Granger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Osceola
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Osceola is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,486 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola <1>
- Georgetown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Georgetown is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown
- Indian Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Village is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
- Mishawaka
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Roseland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Roseland is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 635 people
- South Bend
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gulivoire Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gulivoire Park is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulivoire Park
- Nutwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Nutwood is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutwood
- Wyatt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Zeigler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Zeigler is located in Saint Joseph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zeigler
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vandalia, see our County-by-County Page for Vandalia.
Cemeteries Near Vandalia ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vandalia.
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 Vandalia - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vandalia covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Oakdale Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Prairie Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Birch Lake Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lilly Lake Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Youngs Prairie Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Moon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Chain Lake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Little Fish Lake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Reams - Norton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Calvin Center Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (341 more) ...
- Merritt Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Poe Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Prospect Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Vandalia had a population of 423 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Vandalia had a population of 281 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Penn
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Penn is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
- Brownsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brownsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Williamsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Williamsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
- Wakelee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wakelee is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
- Cassopolis
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Volinia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Volinia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volinia
- Jones
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- La Grange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- La Grange is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
- Corey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Corey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corey
- Dailey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Dailey is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dailey
- Union
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Fabius
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fabius is located in Saint Joseph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fabius
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Marcellus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Adamsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Adamsville is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Former name for Adamsville:
- Sage's Mill
- Dowagiac
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vandalia. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vandalia.
Newspapers Published in Vandalia ...
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 96 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vandalia.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vandalia, 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 Vandalia.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Vandalia:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Cass County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berrien County
- Kalamazoo County
- Saint Joseph County
- Van Buren County
- Elkhart County
- LaGrange County
- Saint Joseph County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Michigan
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 Vandalia, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Vandalia) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |