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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 Collins Center (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 Collins Center. 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 Collins Center ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Collins Center: Collins Ctr. (or less commonly used: Collins Cen., Collins Cent. or Collins Cntr.)
  • While the name of this community is Collins Center, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Collins Center may originally have been Collin's Center.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Collins Center might be written as Collin Center.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Collins Center is located in Erie County.

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 Collins Center. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Collins Center:

  • Erie County     (The home county of Collins Center)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins Center, with the one closest to Collins Center listed first.
    • Morton Corners
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morton Corners. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
    • Concord
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
      • Concord is located in Erie County
    • Wyandale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
      • Wyandale is located in Erie County
    • Shirley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shirley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
      • Shirley is located in Erie County
    • North Collins
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Collins have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Collins
      • North Collins is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Collins <4>
    • Springville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
      • Springville is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springville <4>
    • Boston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brant
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pontiac
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
      • Pontiac is located in Erie County
    • Eden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Footes
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footes
      • Footes is located in Erie County
    • Patchin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patchin
      • Patchin is located in Erie County
  • Allegany County
    • Fairview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Allegany County
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins Center, with the one closest to Collins Center listed first.
    • Gowanda
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <4>
    • Brooklyn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Perrysburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <4>
    • Persia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Persia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Otto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Cottage
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cottage. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage
      • Cottage is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Cattaraugus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cattaraugus have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cattaraugus
      • Cattaraugus is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cattaraugus <4>
    • Eddyville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eddyville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
      • Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • South Dayton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Axeville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axeville
      • Axeville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Little Valley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Ellicottville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins Center, with the one closest to Collins Center listed first.
    • Parcells Corners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parcells Corners
      • Parcells Corners is located in Chautauqua County
    • Wango
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wango. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
      • Wango is located in Chautauqua County
    • Irving
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Forestville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Silver Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <4>
    • Cherry Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
      • Cherry Creek is located in Chautauqua County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 431 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cherry Creek <4>
    • Sheridan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Dunkirk
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkirk
      • Dunkirk is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,701 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dunkirk <4>
    • Fredonia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Cassadaga
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Kennedy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Moons
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Moons. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moons
      • Moons is located in Chautauqua County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Collins Center, with the one closest to Collins Center listed first.
    • Arcade
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Curriers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
    • Java Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Java Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Harris Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
    • North Java
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bliss
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Folsomdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
      • Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County

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

Cemeteries Near Collins Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Collins Center.

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

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

  • Knight Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knight Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mortons Corners Rural Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Maltbie Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maltbie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maltbie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Broadway Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Broadway Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Broadway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • North Otto Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Otto Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Otto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jolls Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jolls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jolls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brooklyn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brooklyn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brooklyn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Weber Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Concord Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concord Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barber Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barber Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (243 more) ...
    • Tefft Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dittman Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dittman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dittman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Holy Spirit Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Spirit Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Spirit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Collins Center had a population of 352 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Marshfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
    • Marshfield is located in Erie County
  • Collins
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collins have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
    • Collins is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collins <4>
  • Gowanda
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • 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 <4>
  • Morton Corners
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morton Corners. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
    • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
  • Lawtons
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawtons have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtons
    • Lawtons is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawtons <4>
  • Shirley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shirley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
    • Shirley is located in Erie County
  • Concord
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Concord is located in Erie County
  • Wyandale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
    • Wyandale is located in Erie County
  • Langford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Langford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langford
    • Langford is located in Erie County
  • Perrysburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <4>
  • New Oregon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Oregon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Oregon
    • New Oregon is located in Erie County
  • Versailles
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Versailles have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
    • Versailles is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Versailles <4>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Dayton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <4>
    • Persia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Persia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
    • East Otto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Otto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Otto
      • East Otto is located in Cattaraugus County

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

Newspapers Published in Collins Center ...

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 123 newspapers that have been published in the area around Collins Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Collins Center, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Collins Center.

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 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 Collins Center:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Collins Center. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>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.
<3>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.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Collins Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Collins Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4937, Longitude: -78.8514       In this case, the coordinates for Collins Center have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>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 Collins Center, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025