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 Wasepi (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 Wasepi. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Wasepi is located in Saint Joseph 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 Saint Joseph County: Elkhart (IN), LaGrange (IN), Branch, Cass & Kalamazoo.
Below are the counties that are near Wasepi. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wasepi:
- Saint Joseph County (The home county of Wasepi)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Nottawa
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Centreville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fairfax
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mendon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Findley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Parkville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Colon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- 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>
- Leonidas
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Three Rivers
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Sturgis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Burr Oak
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bluff Beach
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Factoryville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Branch County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Sherwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Matteson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bronson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Batavia
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Hatmaker
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Union City
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Gilead
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hodunk
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Coldwater
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Girard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Trailtree Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Trailtree Village is located in Branch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trailtree Village
- Canada Shores
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Fisher
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Athens
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- East Leroy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- West Leroy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Joppa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Burlington is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 277 people
- Sonoma
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Custer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Tekonsha
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Beadle Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Springfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Battle Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brownlee Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
- Ceresco
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ceresco is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceresco
- Cass County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Corey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Jones
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Marcellus
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Wakelee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Union
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Vandalia
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Vandalia is located in Cass County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
- Penn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Brownsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cassopolis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- La Grange
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Kalamazoo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Vicksburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Fulton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fulton is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
- Schoolcraft
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Scotts
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Pavillion Center
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Portage
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Climax
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Milwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Comstock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
- Galesburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Oshtemo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Eastwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
- Kalamazoo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Van Buren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Lawton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mattawan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Decatur
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Almena
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Paw Paw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elkhart County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Middlebury
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bristol
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Garden Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Garden Village is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Simonton Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Simonton Lake is located in Elkhart County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton Lake
- LaGrange County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Scott
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Howe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Seyberts
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Brighton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Greenfield Mills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Shipshewana
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Mongo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- LaGrange
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Plato
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Brushy Prairie
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Valentine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Topeka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Stroh
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Steuben County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Orland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jamestown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fremont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wasepi, see our County-by-County Page for Wasepi.
Cemeteries Near Wasepi ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wasepi.
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 Wasepi - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wasepi covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Pioneer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Centreville Village Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Nottawa Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Babcock Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Prairie River Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Amish Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Laird Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mendon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- St. Edward's Catholic Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Culberson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Salem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Findley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (333 more) ...
- Locust Grove Mennonite Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Sprung Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove Mennonite Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Wasepi had a population of 95 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wasepi, with the one closest to Wasepi listed first.
- Nottawa
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Centreville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fairfax
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mendon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Findley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Parkville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Colon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- 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>
- Leonidas
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Three Rivers
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Sturgis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Burr Oak
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Factoryville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Sherwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Constantine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fawn River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wasepi. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wasepi.
Newspapers Published in Wasepi ...
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 92 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wasepi.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wasepi, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wasepi.
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 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 Wasepi:
- Websites specific to Michigan
- Pages specific to Saint Joseph County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Branch County
- Calhoun County
- Cass County
- Kalamazoo County
- Van Buren County
- Elkhart County
- LaGrange County
- Steuben 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> | 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 Wasepi, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Wasepi) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |