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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 Natural Bridge (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 Natural Bridge. 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 Natural Bridge ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Natural Bridge: Natural Brg. (or less commonly used: Natural Brdg. or Natural Brdge.)

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 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.

Natural Bridge is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Lewis, Oswego & Saint Lawrence.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Natural Bridge)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Natural Bridge, with the one closest to Natural Bridge listed first.
    • Carthage
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carthage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
      • Carthage is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,256 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carthage <2>
    • Herrings
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Herrings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrings
      • Herrings is located in Jefferson County
      • Estimated population in 2017: 90 people
    • West Carthage
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Carthage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Carthage
      • West Carthage is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,901 people
    • Deferiet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deferiet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deferiet
      • Deferiet is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deferiet <2>
    • Sterlingville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Antwerp
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Great Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Philadelphia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Philadelphia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Philadelphia
      • Philadelphia is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Philadelphia <2>
    • Black River
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Evans Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Oxbow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Calcium
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Calcium have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcium
      • Calcium is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Calcium <2>
    • Theresa
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Natural Bridge, with the one closest to Natural Bridge listed first.
    • Lake Bonaparte
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forest City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
      • Forest City is located in Lewis County
    • Indian River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jerden Falls
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Harrisville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Naumburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Naumburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naumburg
      • Naumburg is located in Lewis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Naumburg
      • From Natural Bridge to Naumburg
    • Castorland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castorland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castorland
      • Castorland is located in Lewis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castorland <2>
    • Denmark
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Denmark. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
      • Denmark is located in Lewis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Denmark
      • From Natural Bridge to Denmark
    • Belfort
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belfort. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfort
      • Belfort is located in Lewis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Belfort
      • From Natural Bridge to Belfort
    • Briggs Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Croghan
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Croghan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croghan
      • Croghan is located in Lewis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 591 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Croghan <2>
    • Copenhagen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copenhagen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copenhagen
      • Copenhagen is located in Lewis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 767 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Copenhagen <2>
    • Harrisburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Saint Lawrence County

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

Cemeteries Near Natural Bridge ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Natural Bridge.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Natural Bridge, with the one closest to Natural Bridge 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Natural Bridge had a population of 540 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • North Wilna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Wilna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilna
    • North Wilna is located in Jefferson County
  • Carthage
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carthage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carthage
    • Carthage is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,256 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carthage <2>
  • Lake Bonaparte
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Indian River
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Jerden Falls
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sterlingville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Deer River
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deer River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer River
    • Deer River is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deer River <2>
  • Harrisville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Antwerp
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Great Bend
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Naumburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Naumburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naumburg
    • Naumburg is located in Lewis County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Naumburg
    • From Natural Bridge to Naumburg
  • Champion
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Champion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champion
    • Champion is located in Jefferson County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Denmark
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Denmark. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
      • Denmark is located in Lewis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Denmark
      • From Natural Bridge to Denmark
    • Castorland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castorland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castorland
      • Castorland is located in Lewis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 341 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castorland <2>
    • Beaver Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Falls
      • Beaver Falls is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beaver Falls <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Natural Bridge ...

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 Natural Bridge.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Natural Bridge, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Natural Bridge.

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 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 Natural Bridge:

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

The official website for Jefferson County: www.co.jefferson.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>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>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 Natural Bridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Natural Bridge) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Natural Bridge. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.0691, Longitude: -75.4939    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025