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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 Buffalo (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 Buffalo. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Buffalo is located in Erie County and is the County Seat.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Erie County: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara & Wyoming.

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

  • Erie County     (The home county of Buffalo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buffalo, with the one closest to Buffalo listed first.
    • Sloan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sloan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
      • Sloan is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
    • Lackawanna
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Kenmore
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Cheektowaga
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Ferry Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Village
      • Ferry Village is located in Erie County
    • Blasdell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blasdell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blasdell
      • Blasdell is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blasdell <2>
    • Amherst
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bay View
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
      • Bay View is located in Erie County
    • Ebenezer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ebenezer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
      • Ebenezer is located in Erie County
    • West Seneca
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Tonawanda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Grandyle Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandyle Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandyle Village
      • Grandyle Village is located in Erie County
    • Athol Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buffalo, with the one closest to Buffalo listed first.
    • Gowanda
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowanda
      • Gowanda is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowanda <2>
    • Perrysburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrysburg
      • Perrysburg is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Estimated population in 2012: 394 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perrysburg <2>
  • Chautauqua County
    • Silver Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
      • Silver Creek is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,439 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Creek <2>
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buffalo, with the one closest to Buffalo listed first.
    • Amherst
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
      • Amherst is located in Genesee County
    • Corfu
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Griswold
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Griswold have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
      • Griswold is located in Genesee County
    • Sawens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
      • Sawens is located in Genesee County
    • Indian Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
      • Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
    • Basom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • North Pembroke
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Pembroke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
      • North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
    • Alabama
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
      • Alabama is located in Genesee County
    • Wheatville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
      • Wheatville is located in Genesee County
  • Niagara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buffalo, with the one closest to Buffalo listed first.
    • Park Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
    • North Tonawanda
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
      • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
    • Hoffman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
      • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
    • Wurlitzer Park Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wurlitzer Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurlitzer Park Village
      • Wurlitzer Park Village is located in Niagara County
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
      • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
    • Black Creek Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
      • Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
    • Pendleton Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pendleton Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
      • Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
    • Niagara Falls
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Colonial Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
      • Colonial Village is located in Niagara County
    • Rapids
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rapids have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapids
      • Rapids is located in Niagara County
    • Raymond
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
      • Raymond is located in Niagara County
    • Lockport Junction
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockport Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport Junction
      • Lockport Junction is located in Niagara County
    • Varsity Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varsity Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varsity Village
      • Varsity Village is located in Niagara County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Buffalo, with the one closest to Buffalo listed first.
    • Folsomdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
      • Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
    • Harris Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
    • Java Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Varysburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Curriers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
    • Java Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Attica
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Johnsonburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
      • Johnsonburg is located in Wyoming County
    • North Java
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Buffalo ...

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 357 newspapers that have been published in the area around Buffalo.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Buffalo. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Buffalo and those printed in the larger area surrounding Buffalo.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3> of Buffalo.

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 helpful 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 Buffalo:

Cemeteries Near Buffalo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Buffalo.

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

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

  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • St. Paul's Anglican Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Joseph's Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Concordia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Rest Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • The Greenwood Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Greenwood Municipal Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
  • St. Matthews Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery
  • St. Adalbert's Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Adalbert's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Adalbert's Cemetery
  • Continue List   (323 more) ...

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 Buffalo had a population of 255,644 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Buffalo had a population of 254,479 people.

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

  • Winchester
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winchester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
    • Winchester is located in Erie County
  • Doyle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
    • Doyle is located in Erie County
  • Sloan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sloan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
    • Sloan is located in Erie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
  • Kenmore
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Blasdell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blasdell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blasdell
    • Blasdell is located in Erie County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,667 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blasdell <2>
  • Gardenville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gardenville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
    • Gardenville is located in Erie County
  • Cheektowaga
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Forks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forks
    • Forks is located in Erie County
  • Eggertsville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eggertsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eggertsville
    • Eggertsville is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eggertsville <2>
  • Bay View
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bay View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
    • Bay View is located in Erie County
  • Ebenezer
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ebenezer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
    • Ebenezer is located in Erie County
  • West Seneca
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Snyder
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snyder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
      • Snyder is located in Erie County
    • Tonawanda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Athol Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

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

The official website for Buffalo: www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/

The official website for Erie County: www.erie.gov/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Buffalo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Buffalo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.8863, Longitude: -78.8766    
<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 Buffalo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024