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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 Yorkville (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 Yorkville. 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 doctors and 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.

Yorkville is located in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County: Allegan, Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Saint Joseph & Van Buren.

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

  • Kalamazoo County     (The home county of Yorkville)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Yorkville, with the one closest to Yorkville listed first.
    • South Gull Lake
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gull Lake
      • South Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Highland Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Richland
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Augusta
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Galesburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • East Cooper
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Comstock
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
      • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Parchment
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parchment have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parchment
      • Parchment is located in Kalamazoo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,825 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parchment <2>
    • Eastwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eastwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
      • Eastwood is located in Kalamazoo County
    • Climax
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Kalamazoo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Milwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pavillion Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Allegan County
  • Barry County
  • Branch County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Yorkville, with the one closest to Yorkville listed first.
    • Union City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sherwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Hodunk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hodunk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodunk
      • Hodunk is located in Branch County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hodunk
      • From Yorkville to Hodunk
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Yorkville, with the one closest to Yorkville listed first.
    • Level Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Fort Custer
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • 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 Yorkville to Fort Custer
    • Oak Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • 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.<3>
      • 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 Yorkville to Oak Park
    • Bedford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
    • Springfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Battle Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Verona Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • West Leroy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Leroy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
      • West Leroy is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Leroy
      • From Yorkville to West Leroy
    • Brownlee Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownlee Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownlee Park
      • Brownlee Park is located in Calhoun County
    • Sonoma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
      • Sonoma is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonoma
      • From Yorkville to Sonoma
    • Beadle Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pennfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Joppa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Eaton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Yorkville, with the one closest to Yorkville listed first.
    • Bellevue
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Ainger
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Olivet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Carlisle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Vermontville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vermontville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermontville
      • Vermontville is located in Eaton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 770 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vermontville <2>
    • Chester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Ionia County
  • Kent County
  • Saint Joseph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Yorkville, with the one closest to Yorkville listed first.
    • Factoryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Leonidas
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Mendon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mendon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Parkville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Chamberlain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Colon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Fairfax
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Wasepi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Van Buren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Yorkville, with the one closest to Yorkville listed first.
    • Kendall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • North Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Lake
      • North Lake is located in Van Buren County
    • Mattawan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Almena
      (22 miles [35.4 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almena
      • Almena is located in Van Buren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Almena
      • From Yorkville to Almena
    • Gobles
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Lawton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • Paw Paw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Glendale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Yorkville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Yorkville.

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

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

  • Yorkville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Yorkville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Yorkville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Howlandsburg Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howlandsburg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howlandsburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stony Lake Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stony Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stony Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prairie Home Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Augusta Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Augusta Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Augusta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Day Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Day Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Day Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Charlotte Dewey Grave
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charlotte Dewey Grave
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charlotte Dewey Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Post Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Post Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Post Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ft. Custer National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Custer National Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Custer National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hickory Corners Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hickory Corners Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hickory Corners Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shafter Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shafter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shafter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Galesburg Old Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Galesburg Old Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Galesburg Old Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (286 more) ...

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 Yorkville had a population of 125 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Richland
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Hickory Corners
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Cressey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cressey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cressey
    • Cressey is located in Barry County
  • Richland Junction
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland Junction
    • Richland Junction is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Galesburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • East Cooper
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Comstock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comstock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comstock
    • Comstock is located in Kalamazoo County
  • Delton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Bedford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
    • Bedford is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
  • Banfield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Prairieville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Doster
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Doster. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doster
    • Doster is located in Barry County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Doster
    • From Yorkville to Doster
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Climax
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Cedar Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Cooper
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooper have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
      • Cooper is located in Kalamazoo County

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

Newspapers Published in Yorkville ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Yorkville.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Yorkville, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Yorkville.

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 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 Yorkville:

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

The official website for Kalamazoo County: www.kalcounty.com/

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>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.
<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 Yorkville, 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- Yorkville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Yorkville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3754, Longitude: -85.4023       In this case, the coordinates for Yorkville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025