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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 Paynters Crossing (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 Paynters Crossing. 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 Paynters Crossing ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Paynters Crossing: Paynters Xing.
  • While the name of this community is Paynters Crossing, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Paynters Crossing may originally have been Paynter's Crossing.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Paynters Crossing might be written as Paynter Crossing.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Paynters Crossing is located in Cumberland County.

To see how the shape of New Jersey's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cumberland County: Atlantic, Cape May, Gloucester & Salem.

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

  • Cumberland County     (The home county of Paynters Crossing)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paynters Crossing, with the one closest to Paynters Crossing listed first.
    • Turkey Point Corner
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Dividing Creek
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedarville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
      • Cedarville is located in Cumberland County
    • Haleyville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Laurel Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Lake
      • Laurel Lake is located in Cumberland County
    • Mauricetown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Bivalve
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bivalve. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bivalve
      • Bivalve is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bivalve
      • From Paynters Crossing to Bivalve
    • Port Norris
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Norris have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Norris
      • Port Norris is located in Cumberland County
    • Port Elizabeth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Millville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairton
      • Fairton is located in Cumberland County
    • Leesburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Atlantic County
  • Camden County
  • Cape May County
  • Gloucester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paynters Crossing, with the one closest to Paynters Crossing listed first.
    • Star Cross
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Victory Lakes
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victory Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory Lakes
      • Victory Lakes is located in Gloucester County
    • Avis Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Ferrell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ferrell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferrell
      • Ferrell is located in Gloucester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ferrell
      • From Paynters Crossing to Ferrell
    • Downer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Downer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downer
      • Downer is located in Gloucester County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Downer
      • From Paynters Crossing to Downer
    • Williamstown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
      • Williamstown is located in Gloucester County
    • Mullica Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Salem County
  • Kent County (DE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paynters Crossing, with the one closest to Paynters Crossing listed first.
    • Little Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Leipsic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Bowers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowers have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowers
      • Bowers is located in Kent County (DE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
    • Independence Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence Village
      • Independence Village is located in Kent County (DE)
    • Dover
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Highland Acres
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Highland Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Acres
      • Highland Acres is located in Kent County (DE)
    • Kent Acres
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kent Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent Acres
      • Kent Acres is located in Kent County (DE)
    • Magnolia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Magnolia is located in Kent County (DE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 293 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Magnolia <4>
    • Rodric Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodric Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodric Village
      • Rodric Village is located in Kent County (DE)
    • Burtonwood Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burtonwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burtonwood Village
      • Burtonwood Village is located in Kent County (DE)
    • Bicentennial Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bicentennial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bicentennial Village
      • Bicentennial Village is located in Kent County (DE)
    • Camden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • New Castle County (DE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paynters Crossing, with the one closest to Paynters Crossing listed first.
    • Deakyneville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Port Penn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Blackbird
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Forest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in New Castle County (DE)
    • McDonough
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McDonough have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonough
      • McDonough is located in New Castle County (DE)
    • Odessa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Sussex County (DE)

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

Cemeteries Near Paynters Crossing ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Paynters Crossing.

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 Paynters Crossing - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Paynters Crossing covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<6>

While we didn't find Paynters Crossing in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Paynters Crossing.

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

  • Dividing Creek Station
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dividing Creek Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dividing Creek Station
    • Dividing Creek Station is located in Cumberland County
  • Dividing Creek
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Newport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newport have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Newport is located in Cumberland County
  • Mauricetown Station
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mauricetown Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauricetown Station
    • Mauricetown Station is located in Cumberland County
  • Cedarville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
    • Cedarville is located in Cumberland County
  • Haleyville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Bivalve
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bivalve. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bivalve
    • Bivalve is located in Cumberland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bivalve
    • From Paynters Crossing to Bivalve
  • Port Norris
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Norris have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Norris
    • Port Norris is located in Cumberland County
  • Mauricetown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Maurice River
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maurice River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice River
    • Maurice River is located in Cumberland County
  • Leesburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bricksboro
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bricksboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bricksboro
    • Bricksboro is located in Cumberland County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Paynters Crossing ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Paynters Crossing.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Paynters Crossing, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Paynters Crossing.

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 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 Paynters Crossing:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<6>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 Paynters Crossing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Paynters Crossing) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Paynters Crossing. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.3068, Longitude: -75.1215       In this case, the coordinates for Paynters Crossing have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).