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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 Watervliet (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 Watervliet. 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.

Watervliet 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 Watervliet. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Watervliet:

  • Berrien County     (The home county of Watervliet)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watervliet, with the one closest to Watervliet listed first.
    • Paw Paw Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw Lake
      • Paw Paw Lake is located in Berrien County
    • Coloma
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coloma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
      • Coloma is located in Berrien County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,402 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coloma <2>
    • Lake Michigan Beach
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Michigan Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Michigan Beach
      • Lake Michigan Beach is located in Berrien County
    • Riverside
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Berrien County
    • Benton Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benton Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton Heights
      • Benton Heights is located in Berrien County
    • Mizpah Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mizpah Park
      • Mizpah Park is located in Berrien County
    • Shanghai Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanghai Corners
      • Shanghai Corners is located in Berrien County
    • Benton Harbor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sodus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sodus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
      • Sodus is located in Berrien County
    • Hartman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartman
      • Hartman is located in Berrien County
    • Fair Plain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Plain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Plain
      • Fair Plain is located in Berrien County
    • Saint Joseph
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Scottdale
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottdale
      • Scottdale is located in Berrien County
  • Allegan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watervliet, with the one closest to Watervliet listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Allegan County
    • South Haven Highlands
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Hawkhead
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkhead
      • Hawkhead is located in Allegan County
    • Miami Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Park
      • Miami Park is located in Allegan County
      • Miami Park has also been known as:
      • Miami Park Beach
      • Miomi Park Beach
    • Cedar Bluff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Bluff
      • Cedar Bluff is located in Allegan County
    • Leisure
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure
      • Leisure is located in Allegan County
      • Leisure has also been known as:
      • East Casco
    • Glenn Haven Shores
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Haven Shores
      • Glenn Haven Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Glenn Haven Shores has also been known as:
      • Hollywood
    • Glenn Shores
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Shores
      • Glenn Shores is located in Allegan County
      • Glenn Shores has also been known as:
      • Glenn Stores
    • Pullman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pullman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman
      • Pullman is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pullman <2>
    • Spring Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Allegan County
    • Glenn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Ganges
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ganges
      • Ganges is located in Allegan County
    • Fennville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watervliet, with the one closest to Watervliet listed first.
    • Dowagiac
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Pokagon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokagon
      • Pokagon is located in Cass County
    • Sumnerville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumnerville
      • Sumnerville is located in Cass County
    • La Grange
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Grange
      • La Grange is located in Cass County
    • Cassopolis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassopolis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassopolis
      • Cassopolis is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,698 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cassopolis <2>
    • Penn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn
      • Penn is located in Cass County
    • Wakelee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wakelee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wakelee
      • Wakelee is located in Cass County
    • Marcellus
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Vandalia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
      • Vandalia is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 281 people
    • Edwardsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edwardsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsburg
      • Edwardsburg is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,241 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edwardsburg <2>
    • Jones
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kalamazoo County
    • Oshtemo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oshtemo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oshtemo
      • Oshtemo is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oshtemo <2>
  • Saint Joseph County
    • Chamberlain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
      • Chamberlain is located in Saint Joseph County
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watervliet, with the one closest to Watervliet listed first.
    • Hartford
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Fish Corners
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Corners
      • Fish Corners is located in Van Buren County
    • Covert
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Lawrence
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bangor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <2>
    • South Haven
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Breedsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Decatur
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Decatur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur
      • Decatur is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,716 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Decatur <2>
    • Kibbie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kibbie
      • Kibbie is located in Van Buren County
    • Bloomingdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Glendale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
      • Glendale is located in Van Buren County
    • Grand Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lacota
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacota
      • Lacota is located in Van Buren County
  • Saint Joseph County (IN)
    • Granger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Watervliet ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watervliet.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Watervliet. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Watervliet and those printed in the larger area surrounding Watervliet.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<3> of Watervliet.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Watervliet:

Cemeteries Near Watervliet ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watervliet.

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

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

  • Watervliet Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watervliet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watervliet Cemetery
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Fairview Memorial Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Memorial Cemetery
  • Coloma Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coloma Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coloma Cemetery
  • Kniebes Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery
  • St. Pauls UCC Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls UCC Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls UCC Cemetery
  • Zion EUB Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion EUB Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion EUB Cemetery
  • Boyer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Boyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Boyer Cemetery
  • Byers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Byers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Byers Cemetery
  • Emmanuel Home Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Emmanuel Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Emmanuel Home Cemetery
  • Maple Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Hill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (212 more) ...
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Rush Lake Catholic Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rush Lake Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rush Lake Catholic Cemetery
    • Harris Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Cemetery

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 Watervliet had a population of 308 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Watervliet had a population of 1,635 people.

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

  • Coloma
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coloma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
    • Coloma is located in Berrien County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,402 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coloma <2>
  • Hartford
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Toquin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toquin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toquin
    • Toquin is located in Van Buren County
  • Twelve Corners
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twelve Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twelve Corners
    • Twelve Corners is located in Berrien County
  • Millburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburg
    • Millburg is located in Berrien County
  • Riverside
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Riverside is located in Berrien County
  • Covert
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Spinks Corners
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spinks Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spinks Corners
    • Spinks Corners is located in Berrien County
  • McDonald
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDonald have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
    • McDonald is located in Van Buren County
  • Sister Lakes
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sister Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sister Lakes
    • Sister Lakes is located in Van Buren County
  • Naomi
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Naomi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naomi
    • Naomi is located in Berrien County
  • Lawrence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Benton Harbor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sodus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sodus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus
      • Sodus is located in Berrien County
    • Bangor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <2>

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

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Watervliet) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watervliet. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1867, Longitude: -86.2607    
<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 Watervliet, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024