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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 Plainfield Center (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 Plainfield Center. 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 Plainfield Center ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Plainfield Center: Plainfield Ctr. (or less commonly used: Plainfield Cen., Plainfield Cent. or Plainfield Cntr.)

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Plainfield Center is located in Otsego 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 Otsego County: Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery & Schoharie.

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

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

Cemeteries Near Plainfield Center ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Plainfield Center.

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

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

  • Wood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Huntly Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huntly Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huntly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burgess Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burgess Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burgess Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Exeter Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Exeter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Exeter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • West Winfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Winfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Winfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Winfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Winfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Winfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Unadilla Forks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Unadilla Forks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Unadilla Forks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Clarke Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarke Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clarke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hoxie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoxie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoxie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leonardsville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leonardsville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leonardsville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bardin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bardin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bardin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (461 more) ...
    • Bass Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bass Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bass Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Crumb Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crumb Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crumb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Welch Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welch Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Plainfield Center had a population of 82 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • West Exeter
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Exeter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Exeter
    • West Exeter is located in Otsego County
  • West Winfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Winfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Winfield
    • West Winfield is located in Herkimer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 848 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Winfield <1>
  • East Winfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Winfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Winfield
    • East Winfield is located in Herkimer County
  • Unadilla Forks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unadilla Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unadilla Forks
    • Unadilla Forks is located in Otsego County
  • Leonardsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonardsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonardsville
    • Leonardsville is located in Madison County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Leonardsville <1>
  • Bridgewater
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridgewater have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
    • Bridgewater is located in Oneida County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 458 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bridgewater <1>
  • Cedarville Station
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedarville Station have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville Station
    • Cedarville Station is located in Herkimer County
  • Chepachet
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • North Edmeston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Edmeston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Edmeston
    • North Edmeston is located in Otsego County
  • Burlington Flats
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Babcock Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Babcock Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Babcock Hill
    • Babcock Hill is located in Oneida County
  • Richfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richfield
    • Richfield is located in Otsego County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • North Bridgewater
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedarville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • North Winfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Winfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Winfield
      • North Winfield is located in Herkimer County

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

Newspapers Published in Plainfield Center ...

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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Plainfield Center.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Plainfield Center, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Plainfield Center.

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 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 Plainfield Center:

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

The official website for Otsego County: www.otsegocounty.com/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

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 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.
<3>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.
<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 Plainfield Center, 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- Plainfield Center) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Plainfield Center. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.8406, Longitude: -75.1744    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025