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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 Otto (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 Otto. 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.

East Otto is located in Cattaraugus 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 East Otto. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to East Otto:

  • Cattaraugus County     (The home county of East Otto)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Otto, with the one closest to East Otto listed first.
    • Brooklyn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Eddyville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
    • Otto
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Cattaraugus
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellicottville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Little Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Persia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • Gowanda
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Gowanda is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowanda <1>
    • Bird
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Bird is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
    • Elkdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Elkdale is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkdale
    • Little Rock City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Little Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock City
    • Great Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Allegany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Otto, with the one closest to East Otto listed first.
    • Fairview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Fairview is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Rushford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Lyons Corners
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Lyons Corners is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons Corners
    • Cuba
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cuba is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,460 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <1>
    • Black Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Caneadea
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Houghton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Otto, with the one closest to East Otto listed first.
    • Wango
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Wango is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
    • Cherry Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Parcells Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Parcells Corners is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parcells Corners
    • Irving
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Forestville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Silver Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Kennedy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Poland Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Poland Center is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland Center
    • Sheridan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Sinclairville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Gerry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cassadaga
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Otto, with the one closest to East Otto listed first.
    • Morton Corners
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
    • Springville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Concord
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Concord is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Wyandale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Wyandale is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
    • Footes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Footes is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footes
    • Shirley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Shirley is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
    • Boston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • North Collins
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Patchin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Patchin is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patchin
    • Eden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Brant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Pontiac
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pontiac is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Otto, with the one closest to East Otto listed first.
    • Arcade
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Curriers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
    • Java Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Java Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Bliss
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • North Java
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Harris Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
    • Smiths Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Smiths Corner is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Corner
  • McKean County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from East Otto, with the one closest to East Otto listed first.
    • Tuna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Tuna is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
    • Foster Brook
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
    • Bradford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Derrick City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Gilmore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore

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

Cemeteries Near East Otto ...

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

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 Otto - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • East Otto Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Eddyville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Maples Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Ashford Hollow Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Tefft Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Brooklyn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Otto Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Willson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willson Cemetery
    • The Willson Cemetery has also been known as:
    • East Hill Cemetery
    • Jersey Hollow Cemetery
    • Mansfield Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2227550 <2>
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Franktown Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • North Otto Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (244 more) ...
    • West Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bowen Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Plato Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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 Otto had a population of 630 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Otto
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Eddyville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
  • Cattaraugus
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • West Valley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • West Valley is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Valley
  • Ellicottville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Ashford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashford is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
  • Riceville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Riceville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
  • Collins Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Morton Corners
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
  • New Albion
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Little Valley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Springville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Persia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • East Leon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • East Leon is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leon
    • Devereaux
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Devereaux is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devereaux

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of East Otto ...

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 150 newspapers that have been published in the area around East Otto.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of East Otto. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of East Otto and those printed in the larger area surrounding East Otto.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4> of East Otto.

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 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 Otto:

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 Otto, 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- East Otto) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.