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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 Gowanda (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 Gowanda. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Gowanda is primarily located in Cattaraugus County. A portion of Gowanda extends into Erie 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 Cattaraugus County: Allegany, Chautauqua, Erie, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Warren (PA).

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

  • Cattaraugus County     (The home county of Gowanda)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gowanda, with the one closest to Gowanda listed first.
    • Perrysburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrysburg
      • Perrysburg is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Estimated population in 2012: 394 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perrysburg <2>
    • Persia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Persia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Brooklyn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
      • Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Cattaraugus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cattaraugus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cattaraugus
      • Cattaraugus is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cattaraugus <2>
    • Otto
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • South Dayton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Eddyville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eddyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
      • Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Axeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axeville
      • Axeville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Conewango
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
      • Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Little Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ellicottville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Elkdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkdale
      • Elkdale is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gowanda, with the one closest to Gowanda listed first.
    • Parcells Corners
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parcells Corners
      • Parcells Corners is located in Chautauqua County
    • Forestville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Silver Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
      • Silver Creek is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,439 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silver Creek <2>
    • Cherry Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
      • Cherry Creek is located in Chautauqua County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 431 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cherry Creek <2>
    • Sheridan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Cassadaga
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunkirk
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkirk
      • Dunkirk is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,701 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dunkirk <2>
    • Fredonia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Sinclairville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kennedy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Gerry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • South Stockton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Stockton
      • South Stockton is located in Chautauqua County
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gowanda, with the one closest to Gowanda listed first.
    • Morton Corners
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morton Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
    • North Collins
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Collins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Collins
      • North Collins is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Collins <2>
    • Brant
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wyandale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
      • Wyandale is located in Erie County
    • Pontiac
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
      • Pontiac is located in Erie County
    • Concord
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
      • Concord is located in Erie County
    • Farnham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farnham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
      • Farnham is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farnham <2>
    • Angola
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Lake Erie Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Erie Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Erie Beach
      • Lake Erie Beach is located in Erie County
    • Springville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
      • Springville is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springville <2>
    • Eden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Angola-on-the-Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Angola-on-the-Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angola-on-the-Lake
      • Angola-on-the-Lake is located in Erie County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gowanda, with the one closest to Gowanda listed first.
    • Arcade
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Curriers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
    • Java Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Java Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gowanda ...

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 91 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gowanda.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gowanda. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gowanda and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gowanda.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3> of Gowanda.

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 Gowanda:

Cemeteries Near Gowanda ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gowanda.

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

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

  • Maltbie Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maltbie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maltbie Cemetery
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Broadway Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Broadway Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Broadway Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Jolls Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jolls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jolls Cemetery
  • St. Pauls of the Cross Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Cottage Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cottage Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cottage Cemetery
  • Markham Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Markham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Markham Cemetery
  • Versailles Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Rugg-Town / West Perrysburg Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Park Lawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Park Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Park Lawn Cemetery
  • Barber Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barber Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barber Cemetery
  • Continue List   (216 more) ...
    • North Otto Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Otto Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Otto Cemetery
    • Perrysburg Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perrysburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perrysburg Cemetery
    • Snyder Corners Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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 Gowanda had a population of 1,657 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Gowanda had a population of 2,524 people.

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

  • Collins
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collins have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins
    • Collins is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collins <2>
  • Dayton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
    • Dayton is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <2>
  • Perrysburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrysburg
    • Perrysburg is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Estimated population in 2012: 394 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perrysburg <2>
  • Collins Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Collins Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collins Center
    • Collins Center is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Collins Center <2>
  • Versailles
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Versailles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
    • Versailles is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Versailles <2>
  • Markhams
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Markhams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markhams
    • Markhams is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Persia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Persia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Lawtons
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawtons have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawtons
    • Lawtons is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawtons <2>
  • Cottage
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cottage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage
    • Cottage is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Wesley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wesley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
    • Wesley is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Marshfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshfield
    • Marshfield is located in Erie County
  • Shirley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shirley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
    • Shirley is located in Erie County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Nashville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nashville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashville
      • Nashville is located in Chautauqua County
    • Wango
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wango have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
      • Wango is located in Chautauqua County
    • East Leon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Leon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Leon
      • East Leon is located in Cattaraugus County

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

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

The official website for Cattaraugus County: www.co.cattaraugus.ny.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Gowanda) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gowanda. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.4634, Longitude: -78.9348    
<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 Gowanda, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024