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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 Niagara Falls (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 Niagara Falls. 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.

Niagara Falls is located in Niagara 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 Niagara County: Erie, Genesee & Orleans.

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

  • Niagara County     (The home county of Niagara Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niagara Falls, with the one closest to Niagara Falls listed first.
    • Varsity Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varsity Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varsity Village
      • Varsity Village is located in Niagara County
    • Black Creek Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
      • Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
    • Colonial Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
      • Colonial Village is located in Niagara County
    • Lewiston
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewiston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
      • Lewiston is located in Niagara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,572 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <2>
    • Model City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Model City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Model City
      • Model City is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Model City <2>
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
      • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
    • Dickersonville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickersonville
      • Dickersonville is located in Niagara County
    • Wurlitzer Park Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wurlitzer Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurlitzer Park Village
      • Wurlitzer Park Village is located in Niagara County
    • North Tonawanda
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
      • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
    • Hoffman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
      • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
    • Youngstown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Youngstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
      • Youngstown is located in Niagara County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Youngstown <2>
    • Park Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
    • Porter Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter Center
      • Porter Center is located in Niagara County
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Niagara Falls, with the one closest to Niagara Falls listed first.
    • Grandyle Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandyle Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandyle Village
      • Grandyle Village is located in Erie County
    • Ferry Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Village
      • Ferry Village is located in Erie County
    • Tonawanda
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Kenmore
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Getzville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Amherst
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Buffalo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Swormville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
      • Swormville is located in Erie County
    • Williamsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
      • Williamsville is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsville <2>
    • Sloan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sloan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
      • Sloan is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
    • Cheektowaga
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Wolcottsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsburg
      • Wolcottsburg is located in Erie County
    • Harris Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
      • Harris Hill is located in Erie County
  • Genesee County
    • Amherst
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
      • Amherst is located in Genesee County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Niagara Falls ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Niagara Falls.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Niagara Falls. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Niagara Falls and those printed in the larger area surrounding Niagara Falls.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> of Niagara Falls.

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 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 Niagara Falls:

Cemeteries Near Niagara Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Niagara Falls.

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

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

  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
  • All Saints Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Drummond Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • The Drummond Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Drummondville Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drummond Hill Cemetery
  • Weaver Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Battle of Chippawa Cemetery (War 1812-1814)
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
  • Beth Israel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beth Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beth Israel Cemetery
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Gate of Heaven Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Riverdale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (269 more) ...
    • Stamford Presbyterian Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lundy's Lane Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Lundy's Lane Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Niagara Falls (ON).
      • The Lundy's Lane Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Garner Cemetery
      • Green's Corners Cemetery
      • Lundy's Lane Methodist Cemetery
      • Lundy's Lane United Cemetery
      • Stamford Twp. Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lundy's Lane Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2142403 <4>
    • Dell Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)

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 Niagara Falls had a population of 5,502 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Niagara Falls had a population of 47,392 people.

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

  • La Salle
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Salle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
    • La Salle is located in Niagara County
  • Lewiston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewiston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
    • Lewiston is located in Niagara County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,572 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <2>
  • Bergholtz
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bergholtz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
    • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
  • Saint Johnsburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
    • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
  • Sanborn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sanborn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sanborn
    • Sanborn is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sanborn <2>
  • Tonawanda
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • North Tonawanda
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
    • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
  • Pekin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pekin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
    • Pekin is located in Niagara County
  • Youngstown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Youngstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
    • Youngstown is located in Niagara County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,833 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Youngstown <2>
  • Martinsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • Martinsville is located in Niagara County
  • Hoffman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
    • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
  • Beach Ridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach Ridge
    • Beach Ridge is located in Niagara County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Shawnee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
      • Shawnee is located in Niagara County
    • Ransomville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kenmore
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

The official website for Niagara Falls: www.niagarafallsusa.org/

The official website for Niagara County: www.niagaracounty.com/

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Niagara Falls) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Niagara Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.0951, Longitude: -79.0376    
<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 Niagara Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024