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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 West Leroy (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 West Leroy. 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.

Name Variations for West Leroy ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Leroy: W. Leroy

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 hospitals and 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.

West Leroy is located in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County: Barry, Branch, Eaton, Hillsdale, Jackson, Kalamazoo & Saint Joseph.

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

  • Calhoun County     (The home county of West Leroy)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Leroy, with the one closest to West Leroy listed first.
    • Sonoma
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonoma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonoma
      • From West Leroy to Sonoma
    • East Leroy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Leroy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
      • East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
    • Joppa
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Custer
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Custer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Custer
      • Fort Custer is located in Calhoun County
      • Former name for Fort Custer:
      • Camp Custer
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fort Custer
      • From West Leroy to Fort Custer
    • Springfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Springfield is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,184 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springfield <3>
    • Beadle Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Battle Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Level Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Oak Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oak Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
      • Oak Park is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oak Park
      • From West Leroy to Oak Park
    • Athens
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
      • Athens is located in Calhoun County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <3>
    • Brownlee Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownlee Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
    • Verona Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Allegan County
  • Barry County
  • Branch County
  • Cass County
  • Eaton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Leroy, with the one closest to West Leroy listed first.
    • Bellevue
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
      • Bellevue is located in Eaton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,299 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bellevue <3>
    • Olivet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Ainger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Carlisle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillsdale County
    • Litchfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Litchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litchfield
      • Litchfield is located in Hillsdale County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,328 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Litchfield <3>
  • Jackson County
  • Kalamazoo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Leroy, with the one closest to West Leroy listed first.
    • Climax
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Scotts
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
      • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <3>
    • Fulton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
      • Fulton is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Augusta
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Galesburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pavillion Center
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Yorkville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yorkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yorkville
      • From West Leroy to Yorkville
    • Comstock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Richland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <3>
    • South Gull Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gull Lake
      • South Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Eastwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
      • Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Highland Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Leroy, with the one closest to West Leroy listed first.
    • Factoryville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Leonidas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Mendon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mendon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendon
      • Mendon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendon <3>
    • Colon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colon
      • Colon is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,155 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colon <3>
    • Fairfax
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Parkville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wasepi
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Findley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Nottawa
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Centreville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Burr Oak
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burr Oak have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Oak
      • Burr Oak is located in Saint Joseph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 800 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burr Oak <3>
    • Chamberlain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Leroy, with the one closest to West Leroy listed first.
    • Mattawan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawan
      • Mattawan is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,973 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mattawan <3>
    • Almena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Almena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almena
      • From West Leroy to Almena
    • Kendall
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Lawton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
      • Lawton is located in Van Buren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,796 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawton <3>
    • North Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
    • Paw Paw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near West Leroy ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Leroy.

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

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

  • West Leroy Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • South Leroy Congregational Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Leroy Congregational Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Leroy Congregational Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Adams Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spencer Mills Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spencer Mills Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spencer Mills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Harrison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Athens Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Athens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Athens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Morgan Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morgan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morgan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beckley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beckley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beckley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stimpson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stimpson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stimpson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mather Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mather Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mather Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dubois Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dubois Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dubois Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (294 more) ...
    • Bailey Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bailey Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bailey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Gilson Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gilson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wolcott Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wolcott Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wolcott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 in 1895, West Leroy had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Climax
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Pine Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Creek
    • Pine Creek is located in Calhoun County
  • Sonoma
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonoma. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
    • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sonoma
    • From West Leroy to Sonoma
  • East Leroy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Leroy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leroy
    • East Leroy is located in Calhoun County
  • Joppa
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Scotts
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotts have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
    • Scotts is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotts <3>
  • Fulton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
    • Fulton is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Battle Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Galesburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Pavilion
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pavilion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavilion
    • Pavilion is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Athens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Athens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athens
    • Athens is located in Calhoun County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 996 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Athens <3>
  • Factoryville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Union City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ceresco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ceresco have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceresco
      • Ceresco is located in Calhoun County
    • Yorkville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yorkville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
      • Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yorkville
      • From West Leroy to Yorkville

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

Newspapers Published in West Leroy ...

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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Leroy.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Leroy, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Leroy.

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 websites either 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 West Leroy:

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

The official website for Calhoun County: www.calhoun-mi.com/

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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 West Leroy, 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- West Leroy) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Leroy. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.2166, Longitude: -85.2868       In this case, the coordinates for West Leroy have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025