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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 Lakewood (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 Lakewood. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Lakewood 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 Lakewood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lakewood:

  • Chautauqua County     (The home county of Lakewood)
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakewood, with the one closest to Lakewood listed first.
    • Randolph
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Conewango
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Onoville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • East Randolph
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Randolph. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Randolph
      • East Randolph is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Estimated population in 2012: 615 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Randolph
      • From Lakewood to East Randolph
    • Axeville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Elko ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elko. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
      • Elko is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Elko has also been known as:
      • Wolf Run
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elko
      • From Lakewood to Elko
    • Quaker Bridge ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quaker Bridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Bridge
      • Quaker Bridge is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Quaker Bridge has also been known as:
      • Tunesassa
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Quaker Bridge
      • From Lakewood to Quaker Bridge
    • South Dayton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Cottage
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cottage. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage
      • Cottage is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cottage
      • From Lakewood to Cottage
    • Cattaraugus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cattaraugus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Persia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Persia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Persia
      • From Lakewood to Persia
    • Little Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Crawford County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakewood, with the one closest to Lakewood listed first.
    • Spartansburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spartansburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • Vrooman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vrooman
      • Vrooman is located in Crawford County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vrooman
      • From Lakewood to Vrooman
  • Erie County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Lakewood, with the one closest to Lakewood listed first.
    • Corry
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Beaver Dam
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Elgin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wattsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wattsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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>
    • North East
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Freeport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Hornby
      (27 miles [43.5 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornby
      • Hornby is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hornby
      • From Lakewood to Hornby
    • Arbuckle
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Arbuckle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
      • Arbuckle is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Arbuckle
      • From Lakewood to Arbuckle
    • Phillipsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Union City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
      • Union City is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,097 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union City <1>
  • Warren County (PA)

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

Cemeteries Near Lakewood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lakewood.

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

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

  • Bentley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bentley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bentley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunset Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wellman Road Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hatch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hatch Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hatch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilcox Road Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilcox Road Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilcox Road Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gardner Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gardner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gardner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blockville Union Burying Ground
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blockville Union Burying Ground
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blockville Union Burying Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lake View Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Knapp Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knapp Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knapp Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (187 more) ...
    • Bush Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bush Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bush Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Busti Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Busti Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Busti Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Bemus Point Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bemus Point Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bemus Point Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Lakewood had a population of 500 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lakewood had a population of 2,774 people.

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

  • Greenhurst
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Griffiths
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Griffiths have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths
    • Griffiths is located in Chautauqua County
  • Driftwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Driftwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
    • Driftwood is located in Chautauqua County
  • Boomertown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boomertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomertown
    • Boomertown is located in Chautauqua County
  • Belleview
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belleview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
    • Belleview is located in Chautauqua County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Belleview
    • From Lakewood to Belleview
  • Fluvanna
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fluvanna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluvanna
    • Fluvanna is located in Chautauqua County
  • Ashville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Colburns
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colburns have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colburns
    • Colburns is located in Chautauqua County
  • Blockville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blockville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockville
    • Blockville is located in Chautauqua County
  • Busti
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Jamestown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Phillips Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Bemus Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bemus Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bemus Point
      • Bemus Point is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 345 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bemus Point <1>
    • Stow
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stow
      • Stow is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stow <1>
    • Watts Flats
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watts Flats have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts Flats
      • Watts Flats is located in Chautauqua County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Lakewood ...

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 141 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lakewood.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Lakewood. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Lakewood and those printed in the larger area surrounding Lakewood.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<5> of Lakewood.

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 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 Lakewood:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Lakewood. 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>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.
<3>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.
<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>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- Lakewood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Lakewood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.1006, Longitude: -79.3310    
<6>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 Lakewood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025