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 Petersburg (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 Petersburg. 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 Petersburg ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Petersburg: W. Petersburg
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Petersburg. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Petersburg.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
West Petersburg is located in Pike 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 Pike County: Davies's, Dubois, Gibson, Knox & Warrick.
Below are the counties that are near West Petersburg. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Petersburg:
- Pike County (The home county of West Petersburg)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Petersburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Petersburg is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,299 people
- Alford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Alford is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alford
- Glezen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Glezen is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glezen
- Algiers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Algiers is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algiers
- Highbank Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Highbank Town is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highbank Town
- Winslow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Oatsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Oatsville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatsville
- Union
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Union is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Whiteoak
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Whiteoak is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteoak
- Otwell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Otwell is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otwell
- Oakland City Junction
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- White Sulphur Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Davies's County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Sandy Hook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Hook is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
- Glendale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Glendale is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Washington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Graham
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Graham is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
- Montgomery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Capehart
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Capehart is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capehart
- Alfordsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Alfordsville is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfordsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 102 people
- Cannelburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cannelburg is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
- Plainville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Plainville is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 500 people
- Elnora
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Elnora is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elnora
- Population from the 2020 Census: 676 people
- Odon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dubois County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Ireland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Portersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Portersville is located in Dubois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
- Zoar
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Zoar is located in Dubois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zoar
- Haysville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Haysville is located in Dubois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysville
- Jasper
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Holland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Huntingburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dubois
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Saint Anthony
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Celestine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ferdinand
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kyana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kyana is located in Dubois County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyana
- Gibson County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Dongola
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Dongola is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dongola
- Giro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Giro is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Giro
- Oakland City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Francisco
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Francisco is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 558 people
- Hazleton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Somerville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Douglas
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Douglas is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas
- Patoka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Patoka is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patoka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 784 people
- Mackey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mackey is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
- Princeton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Buckskin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Buckskin is located in Gibson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckskin
- Fort Branch
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Willis
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Willis is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
- Monroe City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Monroe City is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
- Wheatland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Wheatland is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 469 people
- Verne
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Verne is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verne
- Decker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Decker is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decker
- Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
- Fritchton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fritchton is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fritchton
- Ragsdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Ragsdale is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragsdale
- Vincennes
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bicknell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bruceville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Beal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Beal is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beal
- Edwardsport
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Edwardsport is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwardsport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
- Martin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Loogootee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Windom
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Windom is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Lacy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lacy is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacy
- Shoals
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Posey County
- Cynthiana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Spencer County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Dale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Gentryville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lincoln City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mariah Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pigeon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pigeon is located in Spencer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Rockport Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rockport Junction is located in Spencer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockport Junction
- Vanderburgh County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Stacer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stacer is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stacer
- Daylight
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Daylight is located in Vanderburgh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daylight
- Inglefield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Warrick County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Lynnville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Wheatonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wheatonville is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatonville
- Dickeyville ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Dickeyville is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickeyville
- Graham Valley
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Graham Valley is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham Valley
- Elberfeld
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Folsomville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Folsomville is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomville
- Heilman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Heilman is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilman
- Eames
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Eames is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eames
- Tennyson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Boonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- De Gonia Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- De Gonia Springs is located in Warrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Gonia Springs
- Lawrence County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Saint Francisville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Billett
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Billett is located in Lawrence County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billett
- Russellville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lawrenceville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bridgeport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Petersburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wabash County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Allendale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Adams Corner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Adams Corner is located in Wabash County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corner
- Patton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Patton is located in Wabash County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
- Mount Carmel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Orio
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Orio is located in Wabash County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orio
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Petersburg, see our County-by-County Page for West Petersburg.
Cemeteries Near West Petersburg ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Petersburg.
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 West Petersburg - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Petersburg covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Stuckey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Old Town Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Walnut Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Indian Mound Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Weathers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Union Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Johnson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Weist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Fowler Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Blaize Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Willis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Morrison Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (312 more) ...
- Poplar Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- DeJarnett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Freeland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
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>
While we didn't find West Petersburg in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Petersburg.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Petersburg, with the one closest to West Petersburg listed first.
- Petersburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Petersburg is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,299 people
- Bowman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bowman is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowman
- Rumble
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rumble is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumble
- Glezen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Glezen is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glezen
- Rogers
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rogers is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
- Littles
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Littles is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littles
- Algiers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Algiers is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algiers
- Sandy Hook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Hook is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
- Pond Creek Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pond Creek Mills is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Creek Mills
- Union
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Union is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Oatsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Oatsville is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oatsville
- Ayrshire
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ayrshire is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayrshire
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Winslow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Monroe City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Monroe City is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
- Cumback
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cumback is located in Davies's County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumback
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Petersburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Petersburg.
Newspapers Published in West Petersburg ...
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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Petersburg.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Petersburg, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Petersburg.
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 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 Petersburg:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Pike County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Davies's County
- Dubois County
- Gibson County
- Knox County
- Martin County
- Posey County
- Spencer County
- Vanderburgh County
- Warrick County
- Lawrence County
- Wabash 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 West Petersburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Petersburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |