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 Ashford (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 Ashford. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Ashford is located in Cattaraugus County.
To see how the shape of New York's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cattaraugus County: Allegany, Chautauqua, Erie, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Warren (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Ashford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ashford:
- Cattaraugus County (The home county of Ashford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Bird
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bird is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- Ellicottville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sugartown
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sugartown is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugartown
- Franklinville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Great Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Eddyville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Machias
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Humphrey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
- Peth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Peth is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peth
- Little Rock City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Little Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock City
- Brooklyn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Elkdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Elkdale is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkdale
- Allegany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Fairview
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Cuba
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lyons Corners
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lyons Corners is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons Corners
- Rushford
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Black Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- West Clarksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Caneadea
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Houghton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Oramel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Oramel is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oramel
- Belfast
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Friendship
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hume
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chautauqua County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Cherry Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wango
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wango is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
- Parcells Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Parcells Corners is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parcells Corners
- Kennedy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Poland Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Poland Center is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland Center
- Irving
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ivory
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ivory is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivory
- Forestville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Erie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Springville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Morton Corners
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Morton Corners is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
- Concord
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Concord is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Footes
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Footes is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footes
- Wyandale
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Wyandale is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
- Protection
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Protection is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Protection
- Dutchtown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Dutchtown is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchtown
- Boston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Holland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Shirley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Shirley is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
- Patchin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Patchin is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patchin
- North Collins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Arcade
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Curriers
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Curriers is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
- Java Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bliss
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Java Center
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Java
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pike
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Smiths Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Smiths Corner is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Corner
- East Koy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Koy is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Koy
- Hardys
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hardys is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardys
- McKean County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Tuna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Tuna is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
- Foster Brook
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
- Derrick City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Gilmore
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Bradford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sawyer City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Sawyer City is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer City
- Dallas City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Dallas City is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
- Duke Center
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Duke Center is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Summit
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Summit is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Rixford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Rixford is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
- Eldred
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Custer City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ashford, see our County-by-County Page for Ashford.
Cemeteries Near Ashford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ashford.
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 Ashford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ashford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Bryant Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Plato Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Street Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Root Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Johns Cemetery
- The St. Johns Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. John the Baptist RC Cemetery
- St. Johns RC Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #65989 <2>
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Niles Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sugartown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugartown Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sugartown Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northeast of Great Valley.
- The Sugartown Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bethany Union Burying Ground
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2256538 <2>
- Bowen Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kimball Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (239 more) ...
- Maples Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Chamberlain Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cole Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ashford had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ashford, with the one closest to Ashford listed first.
- Devereaux
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Devereaux is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devereaux
- Ellicottville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bird
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bird is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
- West Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- West Valley is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Valley
- Great Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Humphrey Center
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Humphrey Center is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey Center
- Cadiz
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Cadiz is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadiz
- Franklinville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Eddyville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Humphrey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
- Riceville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Riceville is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Machias
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- East Otto
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- East Otto is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Otto
- Fitch
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fitch is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitch
- Machias Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Machias Junction is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machias Junction
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ashford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ashford.
Newspapers Published in Ashford ...
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 161 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ashford, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ashford.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Ashford:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Cattaraugus County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegany County
- Chautauqua County
- Erie County
- Wyoming County
- McKean County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Ashford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Ashford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |