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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 Otto Mills (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 Otto Mills. 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 Otto Mills ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Otto Mills: Otto Mls. (or less commonly used: Otto Mlls.)

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 southwest 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 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.

Otto Mills is located in Oswego 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 Oswego County: Cayuga, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida & Onondaga.

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

  • Oswego County     (The home county of Otto Mills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otto Mills, with the one closest to Otto Mills listed first.
    • Redfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Chateaugay
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Chateaugay is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateaugay
    • Smartville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Smartville is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smartville
    • Orwell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Altmar
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kasoag
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Kasoag is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasoag
    • Richland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Lacona
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Albion Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Albion Center is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion Center
    • Sandy Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Pulaski
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Dugway
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dugway is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dugway
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otto Mills, with the one closest to Otto Mills listed first.
    • Worth Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Worth Center is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth Center
    • Worth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Worth is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth
    • Lorraine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Mannsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Adams
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Adams is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,687 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adams <1>
    • East Rodman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • East Rodman is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rodman
    • Ellisburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Belleville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Adams Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodville is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Lyon Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lyon Corner is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon Corner
    • Jefferson Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jefferson Park is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Park
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otto Mills, with the one closest to Otto Mills listed first.
    • Osceola
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Osceola is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Michigan Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Michigan Mills is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Mills
    • Parkers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Parkers is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkers
    • Rector
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rector is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rector
    • Leisher Mill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Leisher Mill is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisher Mill
    • Barnes Corners
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Barnes Corners is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes Corners
    • New Boston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • New Boston is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Boston
    • Mohawk Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Mohawk Hill is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mohawk Hill
    • West Martinsburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • West Martinsburg is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Martinsburg
    • Constableville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Harrisburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Harrisburg is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
    • Martinsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Oneida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otto Mills, with the one closest to Otto Mills listed first.
    • Camden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Point Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Point Rock is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Rock
    • Ava
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Elpis
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Elpis is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elpis
    • Blossvale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • McConnellsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • McConnellsville is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McConnellsville
    • Leisure Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Leisure Village is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leisure Village
    • Redmond Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Redmond Corner is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redmond Corner
    • Taberg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Brookfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Brookfield is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
    • Boonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • North Bay
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • North Bay is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bay
  • Onondaga County

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

Cemeteries Near Otto Mills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otto Mills.

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 Otto Mills - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Otto Mills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Greenboro Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Myrtle Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Chateaugay Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Phelps Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pekin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Salmon River Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Potter Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Gilbert Hill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (215 more) ...
    • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Wesleyan Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Richland Village Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)

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.<4>

While we didn't find Otto Mills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Otto Mills.

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

  • Redfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Greenboro
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenboro is located in Oswego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenboro
  • Hooker
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hooker is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
  • Ricard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Ricard is located in Oswego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricard
  • Osceola
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Osceola is located in Lewis County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
  • Boylston Center
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Boylston Center is located in Oswego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boylston Center
  • Orwell
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Worth Center
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Worth Center is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worth Center
  • North Boylston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • North Boylston is located in Oswego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Boylston
  • Richland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Kasoag
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kasoag is located in Oswego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasoag
  • Florence
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Florence is located in Oneida County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Parkers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Parkers is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkers
    • Winona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Winona is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona
    • Williamstown
      (12 miles [19.3 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 Otto Mills. See our List of 1890's Communities around Otto Mills.

Newspapers Published in Otto Mills ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otto Mills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otto Mills, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otto Mills.

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 Otto Mills:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Otto Mills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Otto Mills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.