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 southwest 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 south.
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 south 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 Orange 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 Orange County: Passaic (NJ), Sussex (NJ), Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster & Pike (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:
- Orange County (The home county of Germantown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Port Jervis
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Sparrow Bush
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Shin Hollow
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Shin Hollow is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shin Hollow
- Huguenot
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Finchville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Finchville is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchville
- Paradise
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Paradise is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Cuddebackville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- South Centerville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- South Centerville is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Centerville
- Port Orange
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Port Orange is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Orange
- Unionville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Otisville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Island
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Island is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Island
- Rockland County
- Sloatsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Pond Eddy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Barryville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Eldred
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Squirrels Corners
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Squirrels Corners is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squirrels Corners
- Yulan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Yankee Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Yankee Lake is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Lake
- Rock Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Wurtsboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Monticello
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bloomingburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Glen Wild
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mongaup Valley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ulster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Spring Glen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ulsterville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ulsterville is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulsterville
- Walker Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cragsmoor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cragsmoor is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cragsmoor
- Crawford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Crawford is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Ellenville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dwaarkill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dwaarkill is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwaarkill
- Napanoch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rutsonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rutsonville is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutsonville
- Morris County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Newfoundland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Newfoundland is located in Morris County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfoundland
- Weldon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Weldon is located in Morris County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
- Woodport
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Woodport is located in Morris County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodport
- Hurdtown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hurdtown is located in Morris County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurdtown
- Passaic County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- West Milford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- West Milford is located in Passaic County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Macopin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Macopin is located in Passaic County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macopin
- Sussex County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Colesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Colesville is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colesville
- Libertyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Libertyville is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- Layton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Layton is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
- McCoys Corner
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- McCoys Corner is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCoys Corner
- Normanook
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Normanook is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normanook
- Roys
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Roys is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roys
- Wykertown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wykertown is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wykertown
- Armstrong
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Armstrong is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Pellettown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Pellettown is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pellettown
- Vernon Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Vernon Valley is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Valley
- Beaver Run
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Beaver Run is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Run
- Augusta
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Augusta is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
- Warren County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Millbrook ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Millbrook is located in Warren County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Blairstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Blairstown is located in Warren County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairstown
- Paulina
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Paulina is located in Warren County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulina
- Monroe County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Bushkill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shoemakers
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shoemakers is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoemakers
- Coolbaugh
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Coolbaugh is located in Monroe County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolbaugh
- Pike County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Matamoras
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Millrift
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Millrift is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millrift
- Milford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Conashaugh
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Conashaugh is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conashaugh
- Parkers Glen
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Parkers Glen is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkers Glen
- Lackawaxen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Westcolang
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Westcolang is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westcolang
- Delaware
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Delaware is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
- Lords Valley
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Rowland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Masthope
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Masthope is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masthope
- Egypt Mills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Egypt Mills is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egypt Mills
- Wayne County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Germantown, with the one closest to Germantown listed first.
- Hawley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Milanville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Milanville is located in Wayne County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milanville
- Boyds Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Boyds Mills is located in Wayne County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyds Mills
- Uswick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Uswick is located in Wayne County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uswick
- Damascus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Laurella
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Laurella is located in Wayne County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurella
- Lakeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Calkins
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Calkins is located in Wayne County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calkins
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.
- Laurel Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Agudath Achim Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Decker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Seeley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mongaup Lower River Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Milford Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Minisink Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Glen Spey Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Travis Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Hainesville Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Unionville Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (160 more) ...
- Van Tuyl Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Tuyl Cemetery
- The Van Tuyl Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hillside Cemetery
- Van Tuyl Hillside Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2291890 <2>
- Clove Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Union Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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>
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.
- Port Jervis
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Matamoras
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Tristates
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Tristates is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tristates
- Sparrow Bush
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Millrift
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Millrift is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millrift
- Huguenot
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mongaup
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mongaup is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mongaup
- Milford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Guymard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Guymard is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guymard
- Godeffroy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rosas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rosas is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosas
- Montague
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Montague is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montague
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- Colesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Colesville is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colesville
- Roses Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Roses Point is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roses Point
- Pond Eddy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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 42 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 15 miles [24.1 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 helpful 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 Orange County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Rockland County
- Sullivan County
- Ulster County
- Morris County
- Passaic County
- Sussex County
- Warren County
- Monroe County
- Pike County
- Wayne 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Germantown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |