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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 Highland-on-the-Lake (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 Highland-on-the-Lake. 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 southwest 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 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.

Highland-on-the-Lake is located in Erie 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 Erie County: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara & Wyoming.

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

  • Erie County     (The home county of Highland-on-the-Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland-on-the-Lake, with the one closest to Highland-on-the-Lake listed first.
    • Derby
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Wanakah
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wanakah is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanakah
    • Pontiac
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Pontiac is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
    • Eden
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Angola-on-the-Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Angola-on-the-Lake is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angola-on-the-Lake
    • Angola
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Water Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Water Valley is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
    • Hamburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Scranton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Scranton is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scranton
    • Athol Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Erie Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Erie Beach is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Erie Beach
    • Bay View
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay View is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
    • Brant
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland-on-the-Lake, with the one closest to Highland-on-the-Lake listed first.
    • Gowanda
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Gowanda is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowanda <1>
    • Perrysburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Cottage
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Cottage is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage
    • Persia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • Brooklyn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • South Dayton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Otto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Cattaraugus
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Leon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Eddyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Eddyville is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
    • Yorkshire
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Yorkshire is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
    • Delevan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland-on-the-Lake, with the one closest to Highland-on-the-Lake listed first.
    • Irving
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Silver Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Parcells Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Parcells Corners is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parcells Corners
    • Forestville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wango
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Wango is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
    • Sheridan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dunkirk
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Dunkirk is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkirk
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,701 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dunkirk <1>
    • Fredonia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Cassadaga
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Genesee County
    • Amherst
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Amherst is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
  • Niagara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland-on-the-Lake, with the one closest to Highland-on-the-Lake listed first.
    • Park Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • North Tonawanda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
    • Martinsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Martinsville is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • Wurlitzer Park Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Black Creek Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
    • Hoffman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
    • Niagara Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
    • Bergholtz
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
    • Pletchers Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Pletchers Corners is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pletchers Corners
    • Colonial Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Colonial Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Pendleton Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
    • Varsity Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Varsity Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varsity Village
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland-on-the-Lake, with the one closest to Highland-on-the-Lake listed first.
    • Harris Corners
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
    • Java Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Folsomdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
    • Curriers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
    • Arcade
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Java Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Highland-on-the-Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Highland-on-the-Lake.

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 Highland-on-the-Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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.<4>

While we didn't find Highland-on-the-Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Highland-on-the-Lake.

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

  • Derby
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • North Evans
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Lake View
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Angola
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pontiac
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Pontiac is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
  • Eden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Eden Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Eden Valley is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Valley
  • Clover Bank
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Clover Bank is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Bank
  • Water Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Water Valley is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Valley
  • Hamburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Athol Springs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Brant
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • North Collins
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • East Eden
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • East Eden is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Eden
    • Bay View
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bay View is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View

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

Newspapers Published in Highland-on-the-Lake ...

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 327 newspapers that have been published in the area around Highland-on-the-Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Highland-on-the-Lake, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Highland-on-the-Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Highland-on-the-Lake:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Highland-on-the-Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Highland-on-the-Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.