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 Panama (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 Panama. 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 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.
Panama is located in Chautauqua 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 Chautauqua County: Cattaraugus, Erie, Erie (PA) & Warren (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Panama. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Panama:
- Chautauqua County (The home county of Panama)
- The following are listed by their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Niobe
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- North Clymer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- North Clymer is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Clymer
- Ashville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Stebbins Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Stebbins Corners is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stebbins Corners
- Stedman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Stedman is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stedman
- Quigley Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Quigley Park is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quigley Park
- Bemus Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Phillips Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Phillips Mills is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Mills
- Slab City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Slab City is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
- Lakewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bayview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bayview is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
- Belleview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Belleview is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
- Cattaraugus County
- The following are listed by their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Conewango
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
- Onoville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Onoville is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onoville
- Randolph
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- East Randolph
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- East Randolph is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Randolph
- Estimated population in 2012: 615 people
- Leon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Axeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Axeville is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axeville
- South Dayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elko ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Elko is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
- Elko has also been known as:
- Wolf Run
- Quaker Bridge ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Quaker Bridge is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Bridge
- Quaker Bridge has also been known as:
- Tunesassa
- Crawford County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Spartansburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Vrooman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Vrooman is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vrooman
- Canadohta Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Canadohta Lake is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadohta Lake
- Lincolnville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lincolnville is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnville
- Riceville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Riceville is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Centerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rootville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rootville is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rootville
- Brown Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brown Hill is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Hill
- Tryonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tryonville is located in Crawford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryonville
- Erie County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Corry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Beaver Dam
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beaver Dam is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Dam
- Elgin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elgin is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 204 people
- Wattsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hornby
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hornby is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornby
- North East
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Arbuckle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Arbuckle is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
- Phillipsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Phillipsville is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsville
- Freeport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Freeport is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Union City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Waterford Station
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Waterford Station is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford Station
- LeBoeuf Garden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- LeBoeuf Garden is located in Erie County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LeBoeuf Garden
- Forest County (PA)
- Fagundus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fagundus is located in Forest County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fagundus
- Warren County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Bear Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lottsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lottsville is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lottsville
- Sugar Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Columbus
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Colza
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Colza is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colza
- West Spring Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- West Spring Creek is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Spring Creek
- Garland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Garland is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- Pittsfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Putnamville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Putnamville is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnamville
- Youngsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- East Branch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- East Branch is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Branch
- Irvine
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Panama, see our County-by-County Page for Panama.
Cemeteries Near Panama ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Panama.
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 Panama - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Panama covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Panama Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Blockville Union Burying Ground
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Clymer Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Town Line Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Tillotson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Grant Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Open Meadows Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wait's Corners Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Lake Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gardner Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (179 more) ...
- Wild Rose Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Clymer Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wellman Road Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Panama had a population of 379 people in 1895 with railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Panama had a population of 441 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Panama, with the one closest to Panama listed first.
- Blockville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Blockville is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockville
- Watts Flats
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Watts Flats is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts Flats
- North Clymer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- North Clymer is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Clymer
- Bear Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Boomertown
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Boomertown is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomertown
- Ashville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Stedman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Stedman is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stedman
- Colburns
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Colburns is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colburns
- Phillips Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Phillips Mills is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Mills
- Bemus Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clymer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Lottsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lottsville is located in Warren County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lottsville
- Lakewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Driftwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Driftwood is located in Chautauqua County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Panama. See our List of 1890's Communities around Panama.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Panama ...
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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Panama.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Panama. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Panama and those printed in the larger area surrounding Panama.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3> of Panama.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Panama:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Chautauqua County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cattaraugus County
- Crawford County
- Erie County
- Forest County
- Warren 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Panama) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Panama, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |