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 Obi (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 Obi. 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 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.
Obi is located in Allegany 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 Allegany County: Cattaraugus, Livingston, Steuben, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Potter (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Obi. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Obi:
- Allegany County (The home county of Obi)
- The following are listed by their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- West Clarksville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Bolivar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Little Genesee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Richburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Bowler
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Kossuth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Kossuth is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Sawyer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sawyer is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Allentown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Vosburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Vosburg is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg
- Cuba
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Friendship
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alma is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Cattaraugus County
- The following are listed by their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- Portville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Weston Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Weston Mills is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston Mills
- Westons Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Olean
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <1>
- Four Mile
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Saint Bonaventure
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Abbotts
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Abbotts is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotts
- Rock City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Allegany
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Ischua
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ischua is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ischua
- Harrisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Chipmunk
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
- Steuben County
- The following are listed by their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- Hartsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hartsville is located in Steuben County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
- Rexville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- McKean County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- Myrtle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Myrtle is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Eldred
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Duke Center
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Duke Center is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Larabee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Larabee is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larabee
- Sartwell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sartwell is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartwell
- Rixford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rixford is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
- Derrick City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gilmore
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Summit
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Summit is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Port Allegany
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dallas City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Dallas City is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
- Wrights Corners
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Wrights Corners is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrights Corners
- Potter County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- Shinglehouse
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- East Sharon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Sharon is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
- Honeoye
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Honeoye is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honeoye
- Millport
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Millport is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
- Chrystal
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Chrystal is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrystal
- Coneville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coneville is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coneville
- Oswayo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oswayo is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswayo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
- Williston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Williston is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Hebron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Genesee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Genesee is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
- Roulette
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ellisburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ellisburg is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisburg
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Obi, see our County-by-County Page for Obi.
Cemeteries Near Obi ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Obi.
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 Obi - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Obi covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- West Genesee Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Clarksville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Chestnut Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Little Genesee Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Well Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Maple Lawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- East Portville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Richburg Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Portville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Portville Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Weston Mills.
- The Portville Cemetery has also been known as:
- Haskell Cemetery
- Oakley Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #65704 <2>
- Wheeler Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (184 more) ...
- Dimmick Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Utopia Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Nile Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Obi had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Obi, with the one closest to Obi listed first.
- West Clarksville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Little Genesee
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bolivar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Portville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bowler
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Haskell Flats
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Haskell Flats is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell Flats
- Westons Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ceres
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Kossuth
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Kossuth is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Myrtle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Myrtle is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Bullis Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bullis Mills is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullis Mills
- Sawyer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Sawyer is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Nile
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Nile is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nile
- Hinsdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Haymaker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Haymaker is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymaker
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Obi. See our List of 1890's Communities around Obi.
Newspapers Published in Obi ...
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 126 newspapers that have been published in the area around Obi.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Obi, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Obi.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Obi:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Allegany County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cattaraugus County
- Steuben County
- McKean County
- Potter County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
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 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. |
| <3> | 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 Obi, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Obi) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |