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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 French 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 French 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 French 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 have occurred.

Another variation: Frenchcreek.

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

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 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.

French Creek is located in Chautauqua 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 Chautauqua County: Cattaraugus, Erie, Erie (PA) & Warren (PA).

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

  • Chautauqua County     (The home county of French Creek)
  • Crawford County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from French Creek, with the one closest to French Creek listed first.
    • Spartansburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spartansburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spartansburg
      • Spartansburg is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spartansburg <1>
    • Canadohta Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canadohta Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadohta Lake
      • Canadohta Lake is located in Crawford County (PA)
    • Lincolnville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Riceville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riceville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
      • Riceville is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Riceville
      • From French Creek to Riceville
    • Brown Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rootville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rootville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rootville
      • Rootville is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rootville
      • From French Creek to Rootville
    • Centerville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centerville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Centerville is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Centerville <1>
    • Vrooman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vrooman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vrooman
      • Vrooman is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vrooman
      • From French Creek to Vrooman
    • Tryonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Cambridge Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Springs
      • Cambridge Springs is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,665 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge Springs <1>
    • Hydetown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Townville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Townville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townville
      • Townville is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
  • Erie County (PA)
  • Warren County (PA)

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

Cemeteries Near French Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of French 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.

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 French Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • French Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • St. Matthias Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Matthias Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Matthias Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Taft Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taft Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Taft Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Marks Corners Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marks Corners Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Marks Corners Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cutting Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cutting Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cutting Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Findley Lake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Findley Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Findley Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Mina Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Mina Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Mina Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holland Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Clymer Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clymer Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clymer Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mina Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mina Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mina Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Clymer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Clymer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Clymer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wheelock Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wheelock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wheelock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that French Creek had a population of 39 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Marvin
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marvin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
    • Marvin is located in Chautauqua County
  • Cutting
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutting have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutting
    • Cutting is located in Chautauqua County
  • Findley Lake
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Clymer
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clymer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clymer
    • Clymer is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clymer <1>
  • Mina
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mina have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mina
    • Mina is located in Chautauqua County
  • Wheelock
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheelock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelock
    • Wheelock is located in Erie County (PA)
  • North Clymer
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Wattsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wattsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsburg
    • Wattsburg is located in Erie County (PA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wattsburg <1>
  • Sherman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • South Ripley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Ripley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ripley
    • South Ripley is located in Chautauqua County
  • Hornby
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hornby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornby
    • Hornby is located in Erie County (PA)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hornby
    • From French Creek to Hornby
  • Phillipsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in French 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 116 newspapers that have been published in the area around French Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of French Creek, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for French Creek.

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 professional and volunteer 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 French Creek:

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

The official website for Chautauqua County: www.co.chautauqua.ny.us/

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

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>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>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.
<5>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 French Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- French Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in French Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.0679, Longitude: -79.7037    









 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025