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 Portville (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 Portville. 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 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.
Portville is located in Cattaraugus 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 Cattaraugus County: Allegany, Chautauqua, Erie, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Warren (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Portville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Portville:
- Cattaraugus County (The home county of Portville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portville, with the one closest to Portville listed first.
- Weston Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Weston Mills is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston Mills
- Westons Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Olean
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <1>
- Four Mile
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Saint Bonaventure
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rock City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Allegany
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Chipmunk
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
- Ischua
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Ischua is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ischua
- Abbotts
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Abbotts is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbotts
- Humphrey
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
- Limestone
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Allegany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portville, with the one closest to Portville listed first.
- Bowler
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Little Genesee
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- West Clarksville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Bolivar
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Kossuth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Kossuth is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Richburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Sawyer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Sawyer is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Cuba
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Vosburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Vosburg is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg
- Allentown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Alma
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Alma is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Pikeville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Pikeville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeville
- Friendship
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- McKean County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portville, with the one closest to Portville listed first.
- Eldred
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Myrtle is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Larabee
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Larabee is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larabee
- Duke Center
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Duke Center is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Sartwell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Sartwell is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartwell
- Rixford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rixford is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
- Summit
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Summit is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Derrick City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Gilmore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Dallas City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dallas City is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
- Rew
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rew is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rew
- Wrights Corners
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wrights Corners is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrights Corners
- Foster Brook
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
- Potter County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portville, with the one closest to Portville listed first.
- Shinglehouse
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- East Sharon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- East Sharon is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
- Honeoye
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Honeoye is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honeoye
- Millport
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Millport is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
- Williston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Williston is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Chrystal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Chrystal is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrystal
- Coneville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coneville is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coneville
- Oswayo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Oswayo is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswayo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
- Hebron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hebron is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Roulette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ellisburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Ellisburg is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisburg
- Genesee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Genesee is located in Potter County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
- Coudersport
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Portville, see our County-by-County Page for Portville.
Cemeteries Near Portville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portville.
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 Portville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Portville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Portville, with the one closest to Portville listed first.
- Chestnut Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- East Portville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Portville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Portville Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Weston Mills.
- The Portville Cemetery has also been known as:
- Haskell Cemetery
- Oakley Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #65704 <2>
- Evergreen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- West Genesee Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lamphier Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Little Genesee Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Well Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- B'nai B'rith Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (158 more) ...
- Maple Lawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Clarksville Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Portville had a population of 706 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Portville had a population of 941 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Portville, with the one closest to Portville listed first.
- Bullis Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bullis Mills is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullis Mills
- Westons Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Haymaker
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Haymaker is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymaker
- Ceres
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Eldred
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bowler
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Obi
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Obi is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obi
- Olean
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <1>
- Myrtle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Myrtle is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Little Genesee
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Four Mile
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- West Clarksville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Haskell Flats
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Haskell Flats is located in Cattaraugus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell Flats
- Prentisvale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Prentisvale is located in McKean County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentisvale
- Shinglehouse
(8 miles [12.9 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 Portville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Portville.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Portville ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portville.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Portville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Portville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Portville.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of Portville.
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 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 Portville:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Cattaraugus County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegany County
- McKean County
- Potter 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> | 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 Portville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Portville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |