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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 Vriesland (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 Vriesland. 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 doctors 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.

Vriesland is located in Ottawa 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 Ottawa County: Allegan, Kent & Muskegon.

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

  • Ottawa County     (The home county of Vriesland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vriesland, with the one closest to Vriesland listed first.
    • Forest Grove Station
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove Station
      • Forest Grove Station is located in Ottawa County
    • Drenthe
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Drenthe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
      • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
    • Zeeland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Forest Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
      • Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
    • Jamestown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Ottawa County
    • South Blendon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Blendon
      • South Blendon is located in Ottawa County
    • Hudsonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Noordeloos
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
      • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
    • Bauer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bauer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
      • Bauer is located in Ottawa County
    • Waverly
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waverly. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
      • Waverly is located in Ottawa County
    • Holland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jenison
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Beechwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beechwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
      • Beechwood is located in Ottawa County
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vriesland, with the one closest to Vriesland listed first.
    • Burnips
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnips
      • Burnips is located in Allegan County
      • Former name for Burnips:
      • Burnip's Corners
    • New Salem
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Salem
      • New Salem is located in Allegan County
    • Fillmore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
      • Fillmore is located in Allegan County
    • Diamond Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Springs
      • Diamond Springs is located in Allegan County
    • Hamilton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Graafschap
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
      • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
    • Dorr
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Moline
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moline
      • Moline is located in Allegan County
    • Hilliards
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilliards
      • Hilliards is located in Allegan County
    • South Monterey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Monterey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Monterey
      • South Monterey is located in Allegan County
    • Hopkins
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hopkins have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins
      • Hopkins is located in Allegan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 605 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hopkins <2>
    • Singapore ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Singapore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singapore
      • Singapore is located in Allegan County
    • Douglas
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Barry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vriesland, with the one closest to Vriesland listed first.
    • Middleville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleville
      • Middleville is located in Barry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,510 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middleville <2>
    • Irving
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
      • Irving is located in Barry County
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vriesland, with the one closest to Vriesland listed first.
    • North Dorr
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Byron Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Grandville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Carlisle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlisle
      • Carlisle is located in Kent County
    • Beverly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
      • Beverly is located in Kent County
    • Burlingame Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame Heights
      • Burlingame Heights is located in Kent County
    • Burlingame
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame
      • Burlingame is located in Kent County
    • Wyoming
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Corinth
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
      • Corinth is located in Kent County
    • Cutlerville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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 <2>
    • Clyde Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde Park
      • Clyde Park is located in Kent County
    • Galewood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galewood
      • Galewood is located in Kent County
    • Urbandale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urbandale
      • Urbandale is located in Kent County
  • Muskegon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vriesland, with the one closest to Vriesland listed first.
    • Fruitport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fruitport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitport
      • Fruitport is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,165 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fruitport <2>
    • Ravenna
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ravenna have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenna
      • Ravenna is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,276 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ravenna <2>
    • Sullivan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Sullivan is located in Muskegon County
    • Slocum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Slocum. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum
      • Slocum is located in Muskegon County
    • Norton Shores
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norton Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norton Shores
      • Norton Shores is located in Muskegon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,623 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norton Shores <2>
    • Canada Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canada Corners
      • Canada Corners is located in Muskegon County
    • Morgan Corners
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morgan Corners. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Corners
      • Morgan Corners is located in Muskegon County
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vriesland, with the one closest to Vriesland listed first.
    • Bloomingdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Grand Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Lacota
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
    • Kibbie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County

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

Cemeteries Near Vriesland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vriesland.

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

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

  • Old Vriesland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Vriesland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Vriesland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Vriesland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • West Drenthe Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Drenthe Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Drenthe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Drenthe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Drenthe Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Drenthe Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Drenthe Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beaverdam Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beaverdam Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beaverdam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Van Dam Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Van Dam Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Van Dam Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Forest Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zutphen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zutphen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zutphen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zeeland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Overisel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Overisel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Overisel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jamestown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jamestown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jamestown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (245 more) ...
    • Noordeloos Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Noordeloos Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Noordeloos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • New Groningen Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Groningen Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Groningen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Roselawn Memorial Gardens
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roselawn Memorial Gardens
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roselawn Memorial Gardens 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 Vriesland had a population of 100 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Drenthe
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Drenthe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenthe
    • Drenthe is located in Ottawa County
  • Beaverdam
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaverdam have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdam
    • Beaverdam is located in Ottawa County
  • Zutphen
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zutphen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zutphen
    • Zutphen is located in Ottawa County
  • Zeeland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Forest Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Grove
    • Forest Grove is located in Ottawa County
  • Oakland
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Oakland is located in Allegan County
  • Gitchel
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gitchel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gitchel
    • Gitchel is located in Ottawa County
  • Jamestown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
    • Jamestown is located in Ottawa County
  • Hudsonville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • South Blendon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Blendon
    • South Blendon is located in Ottawa County
  • Overisel
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Overisel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overisel
    • Overisel is located in Allegan County
  • Borculo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borculo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borculo
    • Borculo is located in Ottawa County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Noordeloos
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noordeloos
      • Noordeloos is located in Ottawa County
    • Bauer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bauer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bauer
      • Bauer is located in Ottawa County
    • New Holland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Holland
      • New Holland is located in Ottawa County

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

Newspapers Published in Vriesland ...

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 199 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vriesland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vriesland, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vriesland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Vriesland:

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

The official website for Ottawa County: www.co.ottawa.mi.us/

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 Vriesland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Vriesland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vriesland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.8120, Longitude: -85.9403       In this case, the coordinates for Vriesland have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025