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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 Clear Creek (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 Clear Creek. 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 Clear Creek ...

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 occur.

Another variation: Clearcreek.

  • A typical abbreviation for Clear Creek: Clear Crk. (or less commonly used: Clear Ck. or Clear Cr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Clear Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Clear Creek.

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 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.

Clear Creek is primarily located in Cattaraugus County. A portion of Clear Creek extends into Chautauqua 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 Clear Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Clear Creek:

  • Cattaraugus County     (The home county of Clear Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Creek, with the one closest to Clear Creek listed first.
    • Conewango
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
    • Axeville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Axeville is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axeville
    • Leon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Randolph
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • East Randolph
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • East Randolph is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Randolph
      • Estimated population in 2012: 615 people
    • Napoli
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Napoli is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoli
    • South Dayton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Cattaraugus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Persia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • Little Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Onoville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Onoville is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onoville
    • Cold Spring
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cold Spring is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Spring
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Creek, with the one closest to Clear Creek listed first.
    • Kennedy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Poland Center
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Poland Center is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland Center
    • Falconer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Ross Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ross Mills is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross Mills
    • Gerry
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Ivory
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Ivory is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivory
    • Sinclairville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Frewsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamestown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Moons
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Moons is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moons
    • Celoron
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Creek, with the one closest to Clear Creek listed first.
    • Brant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Farnham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Shirley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Shirley is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
    • Morton Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
    • North Collins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Lake Erie Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Lake Erie Beach is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Erie Beach
    • Concord
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Concord is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Wyandale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wyandale is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
    • Angola
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Pontiac
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Pontiac is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
    • Springville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Angola-on-the-Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Angola-on-the-Lake is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angola-on-the-Lake
  • McKean County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Creek, with the one closest to Clear Creek listed first.
    • Bradford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Tuna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Tuna is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
    • Foster Brook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
    • Degolia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Degolia is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Degolia
    • Custer City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Derrick City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilmore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
    • Sawyer City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Sawyer City is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer City
  • Warren County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clear Creek, with the one closest to Clear Creek listed first.
    • Putnamville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Putnamville is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnamville
    • Sugar Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sugar Run ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Sugar Run is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Run
    • Hemlock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Hemlock is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
    • Kinzua ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Kinzua is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
    • Big Bend
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Big Bend is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
    • East Warren
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • East Warren is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Warren
    • Warren
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Warren is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,974 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warren <1>
    • Lottsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lottsville is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lottsville
    • Bear Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Irvine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Youngsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Clear Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clear Creek.

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 Clear Creek - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Clear Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Little Clear Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Rutledge Rural Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • West Amish Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Leon Hollow Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Valley View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Tucker Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Sample Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Randolph Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Randolph Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Randolph.
    • The Randolph Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Maple Grove Cemetery
    • Maple Hill Cemetery
    • Randolph Rural Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #253726 <2>
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (209 more) ...
    • Axeville Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Treat Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Treat Cemetery
      • The Treat Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Leon Center Cemetery
      • Leon Union Cemetery
      • Treat Memorial Cemetery
      • Union Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #66536 <2>
    • Myrtle Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)

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 Clear Creek had a population of 90 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Conewango Valley
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Conewango
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
  • Ellington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Waterboro
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Waterboro is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterboro
  • Kennedy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Cherry Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Randolph
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Leon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Poland Center
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Poland Center is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland Center
  • East Randolph
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • East Randolph is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Randolph
    • Estimated population in 2012: 615 people
  • Napoli
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Napoli is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoli
  • Gerry
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Ross Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ross Mills is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross Mills
    • Falconer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Albion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Clear Creek ...

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 127 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clear Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clear Creek, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clear Creek.

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 websites either 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 Clear Creek:

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 Clear Creek, 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' (or 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- Clear Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.