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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 Ontario (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 Ontario. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.

Ontario is located in Wayne 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 Wayne County: Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario & Seneca.

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Ontario)
  • Cayuga County
  • Livingston County
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Webster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webster <3>
    • Fairport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Penfield
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • East Rochester
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Rochester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rochester
      • East Rochester is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,458 people
    • German Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for German Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Village
      • German Village is located in Monroe County
    • Glen Haven
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glen Haven. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
      • Glen Haven is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glen Haven
      • From Ontario to Glen Haven
    • Pittsford
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Irondequoit
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Brighton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • White City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
      • White City is located in Monroe County
    • Windsor Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Rochester
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Ontario County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Port Gibson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Manchester
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Victor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
      • Victor is located in Ontario County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,671 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Victor <3>
    • Shortsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Clifton Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Springs
      • Clifton Springs is located in Ontario County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,012 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifton Springs <3>
    • Phelps
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hopewell Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Thompson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thompson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
      • Thompson is located in Ontario County
    • Village of Bloomfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Village of Bloomfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village of Bloomfield
      • Village of Bloomfield is located in Ontario County
      • Estimated population in 2015: 1,324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Village of Bloomfield <3>
    • Canandaigua
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Holcomb
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holcomb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holcomb
      • Holcomb is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holcomb <3>
    • Centerfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Seneca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ontario, with the one closest to Ontario listed first.
    • Border City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Border City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Border City
      • Border City is located in Seneca County
    • Tyre
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyre. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
      • Tyre is located in Seneca County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tyre
      • From Ontario to Tyre
    • Waterloo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Ontario ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ontario.

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

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

  • Ontario Town Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Furnaceville Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ontario Center Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ridge Chapel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Dixon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dixon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dixon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gould Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gould Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gould Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Walworth Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Walworth Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Walworth Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Finley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Finley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Finley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hall Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sherman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sherman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (300 more) ...
    • Lake View Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Union Hill Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Harris Road Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harris Road Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harris Road Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ontario had a population of 649 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Furnaceville
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Furnaceville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnaceville
    • Furnaceville is located in Wayne County
  • Ontario Center
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontario Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario Center
    • Ontario Center is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ontario Center <3>
  • Fruitland
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fruitland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
    • Fruitland is located in Wayne County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fruitland
    • From Ontario to Fruitland
  • Lakeside
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lakeside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
    • Lakeside is located in Wayne County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lakeside
    • From Ontario to Lakeside
  • Lincoln
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Williamson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Union Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • Union Hill is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Hill <3>
  • Walworth
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • West Walworth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Walworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Walworth
    • West Walworth is located in Wayne County
  • East Williamson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Williamson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williamson
    • East Williamson is located in Wayne County
  • Pultneyville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Marion
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Webster
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Monroe County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Webster <3>
    • East Penfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Penfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Penfield
      • East Penfield is located in Monroe County
    • Macedon Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ontario ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ontario.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ontario. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ontario and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ontario.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6> of Ontario.

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 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 Ontario:

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

The official website for Wayne County: www.co.wayne.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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Ontario, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ontario) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ontario. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.2252, Longitude: -77.2827    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025