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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 Freedom (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 Freedom. 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 northwest 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 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.

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

  • Cattaraugus County     (The home county of Freedom)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Freedom, with the one closest to Freedom listed first.
    • Elton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Elton is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
    • Yorkshire
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Yorkshire is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
    • Delevan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Delevan is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delevan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delevan <1>
    • Machias
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Franklinville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bird
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Bird is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bird
    • Abbotts
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Abbotts is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotts
    • Ischua
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Ischua is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ischua
    • Sugartown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sugartown is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugartown
    • Brooklyn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Ellicottville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Humphrey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
  • Allegany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Freedom, with the one closest to Freedom listed first.
    • Fairview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Fairview is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Rushford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hume
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Houghton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fillmore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Caneadea
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wiscoy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Wiscoy is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiscoy
    • Oramel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Oramel is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oramel
    • Belfast
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Black Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Lyons Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Lyons Corners is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons Corners
    • West Allen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • West Allen is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Allen
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Freedom, with the one closest to Freedom listed first.
    • Protection
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Protection is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Protection
    • Dutchtown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Dutchtown is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchtown
    • Holland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Footes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Footes is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footes
    • Springville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Concord
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Concord is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Boston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Morton Corners
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
    • Wyandale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Wyandale is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
    • Griffins Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffins Mills is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Mills
    • West Falls
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • West Falls is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falls
    • East Aurora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Freedom, with the one closest to Freedom listed first.
    • Griswold
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Griswold is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
    • Linden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Linden is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
    • Alexander
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Brookville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Brookville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookville
    • Sawens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Sawens is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
    • West Bethany
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • West Bethany is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bethany
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Freedom, with the one closest to Freedom listed first.
    • Lewis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Lewis is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
    • Dalton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Nunda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Nunda is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,274 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nunda <1>
    • Pine Tavern
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Tavern is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Tavern
    • Mount Morris
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Kysorville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kysorville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kysorville
    • Leicester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Leicester is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leicester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 441 people
      • Former names for Leicester:
      • Leister
      • Moscow
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leicester <1>
    • West Sparta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • West Sparta is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sparta
    • Cuylerville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cuylerville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuylerville
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Freedom, with the one closest to Freedom listed first.
    • Arcade
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bliss
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Smiths Corner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Smiths Corner is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smiths Corner
    • Pike
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Curriers
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
    • Java Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • East Koy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • East Koy is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Koy
    • Hardys
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Hardys is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardys
    • North Java
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Gainesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Java Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Castile
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Freedom ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Freedom.

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

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

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

  • Freedom Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • County Line Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Salem Welsh Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sandusky Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Centerville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Cadwell Corners Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Siloam Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Elton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Eagle Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Arcade Rural Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Farmersville Center Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (301 more) ...
    • Bates Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • St.s Peter & Paul's Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Mary's Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)

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 Freedom had a population of 76 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Sandusky
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Sandusky is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandusky
  • Fairview
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Fairview is located in Allegany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
  • Farmersville Station
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Centerville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Eagle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Eagle is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
  • Elton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Elton is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
  • Arcade
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • East Arcade
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • East Arcade is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Arcade
  • Laidlaw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Laidlaw is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidlaw
  • Farmersville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Farmersville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmersville
  • Rushford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bliss
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Yorkshire
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Yorkshire is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
    • Machias
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Machias Junction
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Machias Junction is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machias Junction

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

Newspapers Published in Freedom ...

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 156 newspapers that have been published in the area around Freedom.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Freedom, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Freedom.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Freedom:

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