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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 East Amherst (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 East Amherst. 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 East Amherst ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for East Amherst: E. Amherst

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

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

East Amherst is located in Erie 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 Erie County: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara & Wyoming.

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

  • Erie County     (The home county of East Amherst)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Amherst, with the one closest to East Amherst listed first.
    • Swormville
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Swormville is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
    • Clarence Center
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Harris Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Harris Hill is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
    • Getzville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Wolcottsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wolcottsburg is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsburg
    • Williamsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bowmansville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Amherst
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Depew
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Akron Junction
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Akron Junction is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron Junction
    • Cheektowaga
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lancaster
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Looneyville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Looneyville is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Amherst, with the one closest to East Amherst listed first.
    • Amherst
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Amherst is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
    • Basom
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Corfu
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Indian Falls
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
    • Alabama
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Alabama is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
    • North Pembroke
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
    • Sawens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Sawens is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
    • Wheatville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Wheatville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
    • Griswold
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Griswold is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
    • Oakfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Ridgewood Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Ridgewood Village is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
    • Bushville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Bushville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushville
    • Alexander
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Niagara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Amherst, with the one closest to East Amherst listed first.
    • Raymond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Raymond is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Rapids
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rapids is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapids
    • Hoffman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
    • Pendleton Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
    • Martinsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Martinsville is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • Park Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • North Tonawanda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
    • Wurlitzer Park Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • South Lockport
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • South Lockport is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lockport
    • Lockport Junction
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Lockport Junction is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport Junction
    • Lockport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Dysinger
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dysinger is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysinger
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
  • Orleans County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Amherst, with the one closest to East Amherst listed first.
    • Lakewood Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
    • Jeddo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jeddo is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
    • Medina
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • West Barre
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • West Barre is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barre
    • Lyndonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Eagle Harbor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Eagle Harbor is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor
    • South Barre
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • South Barre is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Barre
    • Albion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kenyonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kenyonville is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenyonville
    • Shadigee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Shadigee is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadigee
    • Gaines
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Gaines is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaines
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Amherst, with the one closest to East Amherst listed first.
    • Folsomdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
    • Harris Corners
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
    • Attica
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Varysburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Java Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Johnsonburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Johnsonburg is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
    • Dale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Java Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • North Java
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Curriers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers

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

Cemeteries Near East Amherst ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of East Amherst.

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 East Amherst - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Harris Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Clarence Center Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Skinnersville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Good Shepherd Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • War of 1812 Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Transit Rural Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Pendleton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Halter Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (367 more) ...
    • Shope Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Beeman Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Queen of Heaven Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)

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 East Amherst had a population of 231 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Swormville
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Swormville is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
  • Harris Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Harris Hill is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
  • Clarence Center
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Getzville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Millersport
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Millersport is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersport
  • Williamsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Pendleton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Pendleton is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
  • Wolcottsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wolcottsburg is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsburg
  • Snyder
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Snyder is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
  • Bowmansville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • East Clarence
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • East Clarence is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Clarence
  • Wendelville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wendelville is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendelville
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Eggertsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Clarence
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rapids
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rapids is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapids

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

Newspapers Published in East Amherst ...

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 290 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Amherst.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of East Amherst, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for East Amherst.

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 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 East Amherst:

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 East Amherst, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- East Amherst) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.