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 Germantown (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 Germantown. 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 Germantown ...
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.
Another variation: German Town.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Germantown. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Germantown.
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 doctors and 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.
Germantown is located in Allegany 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 Allegany County: Cattaraugus, Livingston, Steuben, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Potter (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Germantown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Germantown:
- Allegany County (The home county of Germantown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- West Clarksville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Cuba
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lyons Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Lyons Corners is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons Corners
- Black Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Friendship
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bolivar
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Richburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Kossuth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Kossuth is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Little Genesee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bowler
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Sawyer
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sawyer is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Vosburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vosburg is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg
- Cattaraugus County
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Abbotts
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Abbotts is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotts
- Weston Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Weston Mills is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston Mills
- Ischua
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ischua is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ischua
- Portville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Westons Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Olean
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <1>
- Allegany
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Bonaventure
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Four Mile
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Humphrey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
- Rock City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Franklinville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Steuben County
- Hartsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hartsville is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Arcade
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- East Koy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- East Koy is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Koy
- Pike
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bliss
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- McKean County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Myrtle
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Myrtle is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Eldred
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Duke Center
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Duke Center is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Larabee
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Larabee is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larabee
- Sartwell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Sartwell is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartwell
- Derrick City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gilmore
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Rixford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rixford is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
- Summit
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Summit is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Dallas City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dallas City is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
- Tuna
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Tuna is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
- Foster Brook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
- Potter County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Honeoye
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Honeoye is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honeoye
- Shinglehouse
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- East Sharon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Sharon is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
- Chrystal
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Chrystal is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrystal
- Millport
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Millport is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
- Coneville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Coneville is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coneville
- Oswayo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Oswayo is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswayo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
- Williston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Williston is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Genesee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Genesee is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
- Hebron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Ellisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ellisburg is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisburg
- Roulette
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Germantown, see our County-by-County Page for Germantown.
Cemeteries Near Germantown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Germantown.
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 Germantown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Germantown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Clarksville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bristol Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cuba Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- West Genesee Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- North Cuba Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hinsdale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinsdale Cemetery
- The Hinsdale Cemetery has also been known as:
- Maplehurst Cemetery
- Scotts Corners Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #64854 <2>
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- B'nai B'rith Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Portville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Portville Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Weston Mills.
- The Portville Cemetery has also been known as:
- Haskell Cemetery
- Oakley Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #65704 <2>
- Abbotts Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Wheeler Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (208 more) ...
- Utopia Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Nile Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Union Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill Cemetery
- The Union Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Burlinghame Hill Cemetery
- Wilson Cemetery
- Yankee Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #66569 <2>
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>
While we didn't find Germantown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Germantown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Haskell Flats
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Haskell Flats is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell Flats
- West Clarksville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Cuba
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Obi
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Obi is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obi
- North Cuba
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- North Cuba is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cuba
- Hinsdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Abbotts
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Abbotts is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotts
- Nile
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Nile is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nile
- Westons Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Portville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Bolivar
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Friendship
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Black Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ischua
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ischua is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ischua
- Olean
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <1>
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Germantown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Germantown.
Newspapers Published in Germantown ...
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 117 newspapers that have been published in the area around Germantown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Germantown, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Germantown.
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 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 Germantown:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Allegany County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cattaraugus County
- Steuben County
- Wyoming County
- McKean County
- Potter County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
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 Germantown, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Germantown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |