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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 Vail (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 Vail. 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 Vail ...

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.

Another variation: Vails.

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 and doctors 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.

Vail is located in Warren 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 Warren County: Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, Bucks (PA), Monroe (PA) & Northampton (PA).

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

  • Warren County     (The home county of Vail)
  • Hunterdon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • New Hampton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Hampton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hampton
      • New Hampton is located in Hunterdon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Hampton
      • From Vail to New Hampton
    • Califon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Farmersville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hoffmans
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Readingsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • West Portal
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for West Portal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Portal
      • West Portal is located in Hunterdon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to West Portal
      • From Vail to West Portal
    • Pattenburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Annandale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annandale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annandale
      • Annandale is located in Hunterdon County
    • Clinton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Jutland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jutland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jutland
      • Jutland is located in Hunterdon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jutland
      • From Vail to Jutland
    • Pottersville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Hughesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Allerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Morris County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • Budd Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Crestmoore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Long Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Valley
      • Long Valley is located in Morris County
    • Naughright
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Succasunna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Hacklebarney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hacklebarney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hacklebarney
      • Hacklebarney is located in Morris County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hacklebarney
      • From Vail to Hacklebarney
    • Woodport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Hurdtown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hurdtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurdtown
      • Hurdtown is located in Morris County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hurdtown
      • From Vail to Hurdtown
    • Mine Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mine Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mine Hill
      • Mine Hill is located in Morris County
    • Weldon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weldon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
      • Weldon is located in Morris County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Weldon
      • From Vail to Weldon
    • Dover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Morris County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,619 people
    • Millbrook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Brookside
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • Gladstone
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Bedminster
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedminster have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedminster
      • Bedminster is located in Somerset County
  • Sussex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • Hardwick
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Middleville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Middleville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleville
      • Middleville is located in Sussex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Middleville
      • From Vail to Middleville
    • Tranquility
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Brighton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Swartswood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Waterloo Village ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Crandon Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Newton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Sussex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,977 people
    • Wallpack Center
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Balesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Balesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balesville
      • Balesville is located in Sussex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Balesville
      • From Vail to Balesville
    • Washingtonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washingtonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
      • Washingtonville is located in Sussex County
    • Lake Mohawk
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Mohawk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mohawk
      • Lake Mohawk is located in Sussex County
    • Augusta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Bucks County (PA)
  • Carbon County (PA)
  • Lehigh County (PA)
  • Monroe County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • Delaware Water Gap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delaware Water Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware Water Gap
      • Delaware Water Gap is located in Monroe County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 754 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delaware Water Gap <3>
    • Coolbaugh
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coolbaugh. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolbaugh
      • Coolbaugh is located in Monroe County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Coolbaugh
      • From Vail to Coolbaugh
    • Shoemakers
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • East Stroudsburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Bushkill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Stroudsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Arlington Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Heights
      • Arlington Heights is located in Monroe County (PA)
    • Parkside
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside
      • Parkside is located in Monroe County (PA)
    • Reeders
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Paradise Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Appenzell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Appenzell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appenzell
      • Appenzell is located in Monroe County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Appenzell
      • From Vail to Appenzell
    • Brodheadsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • McMichael
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Northampton County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • Portland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Slateford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • East Bangor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Bangor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bangor
      • East Bangor is located in Northampton County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,624 people
    • Richmond
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Richmond. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Richmond is located in Northampton County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Richmond
      • From Vail to Richmond
    • Bangor
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bangor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Bangor is located in Northampton County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <3>
    • New Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Village
      • New Village is located in Northampton County (PA)
    • Roseto
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseto have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseto
      • Roseto is located in Northampton County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,540 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roseto <3>
    • Pen Argyl
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Kesslersville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Wind Gap
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Belfast
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belfast have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
      • Belfast is located in Northampton County (PA)
    • Stockertown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockertown
      • Stockertown is located in Northampton County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 924 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockertown <3>
    • Tatamy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Pike County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
    • Egypt Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Egypt Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt Mills
      • Egypt Mills is located in Pike County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Egypt Mills
      • From Vail to Egypt Mills
    • Delaware
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delaware have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
      • Delaware is located in Pike County (PA)
    • Conashaugh
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Conashaugh. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conashaugh
      • Conashaugh is located in Pike County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Conashaugh
      • From Vail to Conashaugh
    • La Anna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for La Anna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Anna
      • La Anna is located in Pike County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to La Anna
      • From Vail to La Anna
    • Panther
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Panther. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
      • Panther is located in Pike County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Panther
      • From Vail to Panther
    • Milford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • South Sterling
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lords Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Blooming Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Vail ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vail.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Vail had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Walnut Valley
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Valley
    • Walnut Valley is located in Warren County
  • Kalarama
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kalarama have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalarama
    • Kalarama is located in Warren County
  • Hainesburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Polkville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Polkville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
    • Polkville is located in Warren County
  • Knowlton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knowlton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowlton
    • Knowlton is located in Warren County
  • Mount Hermon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Warrington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warrington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrington
    • Warrington is located in Warren County
  • Blairstown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Slateford
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Columbia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Portland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Hope
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Paulina
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Dunnfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunnfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnfield
      • Dunnfield is located in Warren County
    • Mount Bethel
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Bethel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bethel
      • Mount Bethel is located in Northampton County (PA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Bethel <3>

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

Newspapers Published in Vail ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vail.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vail, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vail.

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 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 Vail:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Vail, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Vail) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vail. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.9620, Longitude: -75.0200