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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 Philadelphia (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 Philadelphia. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Philadelphia is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Lewis, Oswego & Saint Lawrence.

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

  • Jefferson County     (The home county of Philadelphia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Philadelphia, with the one closest to Philadelphia listed first.
    • Sterlingville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Sterlingville is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterlingville
    • Antwerp
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Theresa
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Theresa is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theresa
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 766 people
    • Evans Mills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Deferiet
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Great Bend
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Herrings
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Herrings is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrings
      • Estimated population in 2017: 90 people
    • Orleans Four Corners
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Orleans Four Corners is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Four Corners
    • Oxbow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Black River
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Redwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Calcium
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Philadelphia, with the one closest to Philadelphia listed first.
    • Lake Bonaparte
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Lake Bonaparte is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Bonaparte
    • Copenhagen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Denmark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Denmark is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denmark
    • Harrisville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Forest City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Forest City is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest City
    • Castorland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian River
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Indian River is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian River
    • Naumburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Naumburg is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naumburg
    • Briggs Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Briggs Corner is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briggs Corner
    • Jerden Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jerden Falls is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerden Falls
    • Harrisburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Harrisburg is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
    • Barnes Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Barnes Corners is located in Lewis County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes Corners
  • Saint Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Philadelphia, with the one closest to Philadelphia listed first.
    • Somerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Somerville is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
    • Wegatchie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Wegatchie is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wegatchie
    • Elmdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Elmdale is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
    • Gouverneur
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Schermerhorn Landing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Schermerhorn Landing is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schermerhorn Landing
    • Hammond
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Hammond is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hammond <1>
    • North Hammond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • North Hammond is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hammond
    • Talcville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Talcville is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talcville
    • Pope Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Pope Mills is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pope Mills
    • Richville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Jayville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jayville is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jayville
    • Edwards
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Edwards is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards
      • Estimated population in 2012: 433 people

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

Cemeteries Near Philadelphia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Philadelphia.

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 Philadelphia - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Quaker Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Sandy Hollow Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Kelsey Bridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Hoover Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Chaufty Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Vrooman Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Sheepfold Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Van Allen Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Perch Lake Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (163 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Philadelphia had a population of 783 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Philadelphia had a population of 1,101 people.

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

  • Sterlingville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Sterlingville is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterlingville
  • Antwerp
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Evans Mills
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • North Wilna
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • North Wilna is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wilna
  • Theresa
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Theresa is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Theresa
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 766 people
  • Great Bend
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Felts Mills
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Orleans Four Corners
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Orleans Four Corners is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Four Corners
  • Black River
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Oxbow
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Plessis
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Redwood
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • Spragueville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Spragueville is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spragueville
    • Somerville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Somerville is located in Saint Lawrence County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerville
    • Carthage
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Philadelphia ...

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 134 newspapers that have been published in the area around Philadelphia.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Philadelphia. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Philadelphia and those printed in the larger area surrounding Philadelphia.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2> of Philadelphia.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Philadelphia:

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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Philadelphia) 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 Philadelphia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.