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 Plains (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 Plains. 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 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.
Plains is located in Sussex County.
To see how the shape of New Jersey's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Sussex County: Morris, Passaic, Warren, Orange (NY), Monroe (PA) & Pike (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Plains. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Plains:
- Sussex County (The home county of Plains)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Armstrong
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Armstrong is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Ross Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Ross Corner is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross Corner
- Augusta
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Augusta is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
- Wykertown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Wykertown is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wykertown
- Pellettown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pellettown is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pellettown
- Roys
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Roys is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roys
- Balesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Balesville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balesville
- Washingtonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Washingtonville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Beaver Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Beaver Run is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Run
- McCoys Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- McCoys Corner is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCoys Corner
- Hardistonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hardistonville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardistonville
- Newton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Newton is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,977 people
- Bergen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Campgaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Campgaw is located in Bergen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campgaw
- Ackermans Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ackermans Mills is located in Bergen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackermans Mills
- Wyckoff
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Wyckoff is located in Bergen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyckoff
- Mahwah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Mahwah is located in Bergen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahwah
- Wortendyke
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Wortendyke is located in Bergen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wortendyke
- Essex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Fairfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- West Caldwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- West Caldwell is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Caldwell
- Caldwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Borough of Essex Fells
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Borough of Essex Fells is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borough of Essex Fells
- Estimated population in 2015: 2,159 people
- Essex Fells
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Essex Fells is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essex Fells
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,071 people
- Meadow Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Meadow Village is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Village
- Hunterdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Califon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Califon is located in Hunterdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Califon
- Farmersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Farmersville is located in Hunterdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersville
- Pottersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Pottersville is located in Hunterdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottersville
- Morris County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Weldon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Weldon is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
- Woodport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Woodport is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodport
- Hurdtown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hurdtown is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurdtown
- Newfoundland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Newfoundland is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfoundland
- Lake Telemark
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Telemark is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Telemark
- Hibernia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hibernia is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hibernia
- Hilltown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hilltown is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltown
- White Meadow Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- White Meadow Lake is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Meadow Lake
- Budd Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Budd Lake is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Budd Lake
- Mine Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Mine Hill is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mine Hill
- Lyonsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lyonsville is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonsville
- Dover
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dover is located in Morris County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,619 people
- Passaic County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Macopin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Macopin is located in Passaic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macopin
- West Milford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- West Milford is located in Passaic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Haskell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Haskell is located in Passaic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell
- Wayne
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wayne is located in Passaic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne
- Preakness
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Preakness is located in Passaic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preakness
- Singac
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Singac is located in Passaic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singac
- Somerset County
- Gladstone
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Gladstone is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladstone
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Millbrook ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Millbrook is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Long Bridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Long Bridge is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Bridge
- Paulina
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Paulina is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulina
- Allamuchy - Panther Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Blairstown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Blairstown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairstown
- Hackettstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hackettstown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackettstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,372 people
- Vail
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Vail is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vail
- Hope
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hope is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Mount Hermon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Hermon is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hermon
- Vienna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Vienna is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
- Hainesburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hainesburg is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hainesburg
- Beattystown
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Beattystown is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beattystown
- Orange County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Unionville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Amity
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Amity is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amity
- Newport
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Newport is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Port Jervis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Pine Island
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Island is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
- Sparrow Bush
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Edenville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Edenville is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
- Shin Hollow
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shin Hollow is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shin Hollow
- Huguenot
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Big Island
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Big Island is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Island
- South Centerville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- South Centerville is located in Orange County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Centerville
- Warwick
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Rockland County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Sloatsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hillburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ramapo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ramapo is located in Rockland County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramapo
- Suffern
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Montebello
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Montebello is located in Rockland County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montebello
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,579 people
- Sullivan County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Pond Eddy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Barryville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Eldred
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Yulan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Monroe County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Bushkill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Shoemakers
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Shoemakers is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoemakers
- Coolbaugh
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Coolbaugh is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolbaugh
- Delaware Water Gap
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- East Stroudsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Stroudsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Arlington Heights is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Heights
- Parkside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Parkside is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside
- Mountainhome
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Paradise Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Paradise Valley is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Valley
- Northampton County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Portland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Portland is located in Northampton County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 512 people
- Slateford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Slateford is located in Northampton County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slateford
- East Bangor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- East Bangor is located in Northampton County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bangor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,624 people
- Richmond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Richmond is located in Northampton County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Pike County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Delaware
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Delaware is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
- Conashaugh
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Conashaugh is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conashaugh
- Milford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Egypt Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Egypt Mills is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt Mills
- Matamoras
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Millrift
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Millrift is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millrift
- Parkers Glen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Parkers Glen is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkers Glen
- Lords Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lackawaxen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Blooming Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Blooming Grove is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blooming Grove
- Rowland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tafton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Plains, see our County-by-County Page for Plains.
Cemeteries Near Plains ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plains.
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 Plains - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Plains covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Branchville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Vaughn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hardyston Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Newton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Newton Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Newton.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #100140 <2>
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Deckertown Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bevans Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (193 more) ...
- Wallpack Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Wantage Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hainesville Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
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 in 1895, Plains had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Plains, with the one closest to Plains listed first.
- Northrup
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Northrup is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northrup
- Armstrong
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Armstrong is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Augusta
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Augusta is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
- Lafayette
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Lafayette is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette
- Pellettown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pellettown is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pellettown
- Wykertown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Wykertown is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wykertown
- Balesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Balesville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balesville
- Washingtonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Washingtonville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Halsey
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Halsey is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halsey
- Monroe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Monroe is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Roys
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Roys is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roys
- Branchville Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Branchville Junction is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchville Junction
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Beaver Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Beaver Run is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Run
- Beemerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Beemerville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beemerville
- Sparta Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sparta Junction is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta Junction
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Plains. See our List of 1890's Communities around Plains.
Newspapers Published in Plains ...
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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plains.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Plains, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Plains.
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 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 Plains:
- Websites specific to New Jersey
- Pages specific to Sussex County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bergen County
- Essex County
- Hunterdon County
- Morris County
- Passaic County
- Somerset County
- Warren County
- Orange County
- Rockland County
- Sullivan County
- Monroe County
- Northampton County
- Pike County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New Jersey
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 Plains, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Plains) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |