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 Canton (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 Canton. 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 hospitals 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.

Canton is located in Saint Lawrence 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 Saint Lawrence County: Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson & Lewis.

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

• Saint Lawrence County     (The home county of Canton)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Canton, with the one closest to Canton listed first.
  • Slab City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slab City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
    • Slab City is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Rensselaer Falls
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rensselaer Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rensselaer Falls
    • Rensselaer Falls is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rensselaer Falls <2>
  • Pierrepont
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierrepont
    • Pierrepont is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • De Kalb Junction
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb Junction
    • De Kalb Junction is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Kalb Junction <2>
  • Coney Island
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coney Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coney Island
    • Coney Island is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Hannawa Falls
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannawa Falls
    • Hannawa Falls is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hannawa Falls <2>
  • Madrid Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madrid Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid Springs
    • Madrid Springs is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Hermon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermon
    • Hermon is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Estimated population in 2017: 405 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hermon <2>
  • West Pierrepont
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pierrepont
    • West Pierrepont is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Potsdam
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
    • Potsdam is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,796 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Potsdam <2>
  • De Kalb
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
    • De Kalb is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Colton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colton
    • Colton is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colton <2>
  • Heuvelton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heuvelton
    • Heuvelton is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 714 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heuvelton <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Canton ...

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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Canton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

• A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Canton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Canton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Canton.
• An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<3> of Canton.

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 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 Canton:

• Websites specific to New York
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the New York State Archives

• Pages specific to Saint Lawrence County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties

• Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of New York
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of New York
  • Cemeteries of Saint Lawrence County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of New York
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of New York
  • Cemeteries of Saint Lawrence County

Cemeteries Near Canton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Canton.

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

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

• St. Marys Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
• Fairview Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
• Bridge Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bridge Cemetery
• St. Marys Cemetery
  (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
• Olin Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olin Cemetery
• Norton Cemetery
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norton Cemetery
• Morley Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morley Cemetery
• Trinity Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trinity Cemetery
• Clark Cemetery
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clark Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clark Cemetery
• Jerusalem Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jerusalem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jerusalem Cemetery
• King Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the King Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the King Cemetery
• South Potsdam Cemetery
  (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Potsdam Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Potsdam Cemetery
• Continue List   (159 more) ...
  • Lawrence Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lawrence Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lawrence Cemetery
  • North Russell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Russell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Russell Cemetery
  • White Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Church Cemetery

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 Canton had a population of 2,580 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Canton had a population of 6,482 people.

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

• Morley
  (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
  • Morley is located in Saint Lawrence County
• Crary Mills
  (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crary Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crary Mills
  • Crary Mills is located in Saint Lawrence County
• North Russell
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Russell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Russell
  • North Russell is located in Saint Lawrence County
• West Potsdam
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Potsdam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Potsdam
  • West Potsdam is located in Saint Lawrence County
• Bucks Bridge
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucks Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Bridge
  • Bucks Bridge is located in Saint Lawrence County
• Rensselaer Falls
  (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rensselaer Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rensselaer Falls
  • Rensselaer Falls is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rensselaer Falls <2>
• De Kalb Junction
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb Junction
  • De Kalb Junction is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Kalb Junction <2>
• Pierrepont
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierrepont
  • Pierrepont is located in Saint Lawrence County
• Hermon
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermon
  • Hermon is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Estimated population in 2017: 405 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hermon <2>
• West Pierrepont
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pierrepont
  • West Pierrepont is located in Saint Lawrence County
• Hannawa Falls
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannawa Falls
  • Hannawa Falls is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hannawa Falls <2>
• Madrid Springs
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madrid Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid Springs
  • Madrid Springs is located in Saint Lawrence County
• Continue List   (14 more) ...
  • De Kalb
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
    • De Kalb is located in Saint Lawrence County
  • Potsdam
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
    • Potsdam is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,796 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Potsdam <2>
  • Madrid
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madrid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
    • Madrid is located in Saint Lawrence County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madrid <2>

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Canton: www.village.canton.ny.us/

The official website for Saint Lawrence County: www.co.st-lawrence.ny.us/

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