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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 Owls Nest (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 Owls Nest. 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 Owls Nest ...

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.

While the name of this community is Owls Nest, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Owls Nest may originally have been Owl's Nest.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Owls Nest might be written as Owl Nest.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Owls Nest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Owls Nest.

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.

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

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Owls Nest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Owls Nest, with the one closest to Owls Nest listed first.
    • Williamson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Marion
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sodus
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairville
    • East Palmyra
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • East Palmyra is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Palmyra
    • South Sodus
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • South Sodus is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sodus
    • Pultneyville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Orchard Grove Village Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Huddle
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Huddle is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huddle
    • Walworth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ontario
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Marquart Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Marquart Village is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marquart Village
  • Cayuga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Owls Nest, with the one closest to Owls Nest listed first.
    • Fair Haven
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Victory
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Victory is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory
    • North Victory
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • North Victory is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Victory
    • Port Byron
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Port Byron is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Byron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,181 people
      • Former name for Port Byron:
      • Bucksville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Byron <2>
    • Cayuga
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cato
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • North Sterling
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • North Sterling is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sterling
    • Sterling Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Sterling Valley is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling Valley
    • Ira
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Ira is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
    • Meridian
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Weedsport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Livingston County
    • Lima
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lima is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,008 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lima <2>
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Owls Nest, with the one closest to Owls Nest listed first.
    • Webster
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Fairport
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Penfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • East Rochester
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • East Rochester is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rochester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,458 people
    • Pittsford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • German Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • German Village is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Village
    • Glen Haven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Glen Haven is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
    • Brighton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Brighton is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
    • Mendon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Irondequoit
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Rochester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • White City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • White City is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
  • Ontario County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Owls Nest, with the one closest to Owls Nest listed first.
    • Port Gibson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Clifton Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Manchester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Thompson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Thompson is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Phelps
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Shortsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • West Junius
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • West Junius is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Junius
    • Melvin Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Melvin Hill is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin Hill
    • Hopewell Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Hopewell Center is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Center
    • Victor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Seneca Castle
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Dobbins Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dobbins Corner is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbins Corner
  • Oswego County
    • Hannibal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Seneca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Owls Nest, with the one closest to Owls Nest listed first.
    • Tyre
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tyre is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
    • Border City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Border City is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Border City
    • Waterloo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Seneca Falls
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Canoga
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Canoga is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canoga
    • Kuneytown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Kuneytown is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kuneytown
  • Yates County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Owls Nest, with the one closest to Owls Nest listed first.
    • Bellona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Rushville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Owls Nest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Owls Nest.

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 Owls Nest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Gilbert Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Upper Corners Graveyard
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Joy Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Sherman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Marion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Sodus Rural Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Hall Center Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Fairville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Glerum Farm Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Zurich Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Old Mill Street Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. John's Episcopal Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (329 more) ...

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 Owls Nest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Owls Nest.

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

  • Joy
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Joy is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joy
  • Marion
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Williamson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • East Williamson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • East Williamson is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williamson
  • Fairville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairville is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairville
  • Zurich
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Zurich is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zurich
  • Sodus Center
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Sodus Center is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus Center
  • Sodus
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • East Palmyra
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • East Palmyra is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Palmyra
  • Wallington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Wallington is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallington
  • Walworth
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pultneyville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • South Sodus
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • South Sodus is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sodus
    • Ontario
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Alton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in Owls Nest ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Owls Nest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Owls Nest, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Owls Nest.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Owls Nest:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Owls Nest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Owls Nest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.