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 Peterson (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 Peterson. 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.
Peterson is located in Adams County.
To see how the shape of Indiana's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Adams County: Allen, Jay, Wells, Mercer (OH) & Van Wert (OH).
Below are the counties that are near Peterson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Peterson:
- Adams County (The home county of Peterson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Preble
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Magley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Magley is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magley
- Honduras
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Honduras is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honduras
- Decatur
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Coppess Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Coppess Corner is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coppess Corner
- Monroe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Berne
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Linn Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Linn Grove is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linn Grove
- Geneva
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Allen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Hoagland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Yoder
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Monroeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dixon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dixon is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Anthony Wayne Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Zulu
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Zulu is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zulu
- New Haven
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Indian Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Village is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Village
- Fort Wayne
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Aboite
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Aboite is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aboite
- Hacienda Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hacienda Village is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hacienda Village
- Edgerton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Edgerton is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgerton
- Blackford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Montpelier
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Ridertown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ridertown is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridertown
- Mollie ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mollie is located in Blackford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Farrville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Farrville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrville
- Van Buren
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Van Buren is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Buren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 815 people
- Huntington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Markle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Plum Tree
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Plum Tree is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Tree
- Roanoke
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bowerstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bowerstown is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerstown
- Warren
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Majenica
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Majenica is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majenica
- Huntington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- River
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- River is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River
- Goblesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Goblesville is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goblesville
- Harlansburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Harlansburg is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlansburg
- Mount Etna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mount Etna is located in Huntington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Etna
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Andrews
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Jay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Bryant
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Fiat
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Fiat is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiat
- Jay City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Jay City is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay City
- Bloomfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bloomfield is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Trinity
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Trinity is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Antiville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Antiville is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antiville
- Pennville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Pony
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pony is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pony
- Portland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Blaine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Blaine is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Greene
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Greene is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
- Collett
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Collett is located in Jay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collett
- Wells County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Craigville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Craigville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigville
- Tocsin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Tocsin is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tocsin
- Vera Cruz
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Vera Cruz is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera Cruz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- North Oaks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- North Oaks is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Oaks
- Ossian
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bluffton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Uniondale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Reiffsburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Reiffsburg is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reiffsburg
- Travisville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Travisville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Travisville
- Greenville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Greenville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Liberty Center
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Center is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Center
- Petroleum
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Petroleum is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petroleum
- Whitley County
- Dunfee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dunfee is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunfee
- Mercer County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Skeels Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Skeels Crossroads is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skeels Crossroads
- Rockford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Scudder
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Scudder is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scudder
- Tama
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Tama is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tama
- Wabash
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Wabash is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
- Mercer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mercer is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Earley ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Earley is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earley
- Macedon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Macedon is located in Mercer County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedon
- Mendon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Celina
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coldwater
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Recovery
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Paulding County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- McGill ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- McGill is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGill
- Batson ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Batson is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batson
- Tipton ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tipton is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
- Payne
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Payne is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Payne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,132 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Payne <1>
- Worstville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Worstville is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worstville
- Folmer ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Folmer is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folmer
- Haviland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Haviland is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haviland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
- Dague ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dague is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dague
- Antwerp
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Latty
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Latty is located in Paulding County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
- Van Wert County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Willshire
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Wren
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Wren is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wren
- Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wren <1>
- Dixon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dixon is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Schumm
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Schumm is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schumm
- Abanaka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Abanaka is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abanaka
- Glenmore
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Glenmore is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmore
- Convoy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ohio City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Van Wert
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Scott
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Elgin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Elgin is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Hoaglin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Hoaglin is located in Van Wert County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoaglin
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Peterson, see our County-by-County Page for Peterson.
Cemeteries Near Peterson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Peterson.
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 Peterson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Peterson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Shady Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Decatur Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decatur Cemetery
- The Decatur Cemetery has also been known as:
- Greenwood Cemetery
- Maplewood Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #85219 <2>
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oakland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Ray Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Prairie View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Union Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Alpha Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (269 more) ...
- Salem Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- El Honan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Elm Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Peterson had a population of 64 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Peterson, with the one closest to Peterson listed first.
- Preble
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Magley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Magley is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magley
- Curryville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Curryville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curryville
- Honduras
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Honduras is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honduras
- Craigville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Craigville is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigville
- Decatur
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Monmouth
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Monmouth is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monmouth
- Tocsin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Tocsin is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tocsin
- Monroe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Williams
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Vera Cruz
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Vera Cruz is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vera Cruz
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Kingsland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Kingsland is located in Wells County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsland
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Bluffton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Poe
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Poe is located in Allen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poe
- Pleasant Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Peterson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Peterson.
Newspapers Published in Peterson ...
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 114 newspapers that have been published in the area around Peterson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Peterson, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Peterson.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Peterson:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Adams County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allen County
- Blackford County
- Grant County
- Huntington County
- Jay County
- Wells County
- Whitley County
- Mercer County
- Paulding County
- Van Wert County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Indiana
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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Peterson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Peterson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |