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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 Potter Hill (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 Potter Hill. 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 Potter Hill ...

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.

Another variation: Potterhill.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Potter Hill is located in Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County: Berkshire (MA), Albany, Columbia, Greene, Saratoga, Washington & Bennington (VT).

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

  • Rensselaer County     (The home county of Potter Hill)
  • Albany County
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potter Hill, with the one closest to Potter Hill listed first.
    • Riders Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • New Britain ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Canaan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Saratoga County
  • Schenectady County
  • Washington County
  • Berkshire County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potter Hill, with the one closest to Potter Hill listed first.
    • Williamstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamstown
      • Williamstown is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,631 people
    • Greylock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greylock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greylock
      • Greylock is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greylock
      • From Potter Hill to Greylock
    • North Adams
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • New Ashford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Ashford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ashford
      • New Ashford is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Zylonite
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zylonite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zylonite
      • Zylonite is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Zylonite
      • From Potter Hill to Zylonite
    • Adams
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Renfrew
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Renfrew. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renfrew
      • Renfrew is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Renfrew
      • From Potter Hill to Renfrew
    • Hancock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hancock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Hancock is located in Berkshire County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 695 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hancock
      • From Potter Hill to Hancock
    • Arnoldville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cheshire
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Florida
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Town Crest Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Town Crest Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Crest Village
      • Town Crest Village is located in Berkshire County (MA)
  • Franklin County (MA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potter Hill, with the one closest to Potter Hill listed first.
    • Monroe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
      • Monroe is located in Franklin County (MA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 115 people
    • Monroe Bridge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monroe Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Bridge
      • Monroe Bridge is located in Franklin County (MA)
    • Rowe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • North Heath
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Charlemont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bennington County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potter Hill, with the one closest to Potter Hill listed first.
    • Bennington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennington
      • Bennington is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,897 people
    • Old Bennington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Bennington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Bennington
      • Old Bennington is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
    • Pownal Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • North Bennington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Paper Mill Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paper Mill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill Village
      • Paper Mill Village is located in Bennington County (VT)
    • Bennington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Pownal
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pownal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pownal
      • Pownal is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,386 people
    • South Shaftsbury
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodford Hollow
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Shaftsbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shaftsbury have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaftsbury
      • Shaftsbury is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,411 people
    • Shaftsbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Stamford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stamford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamford
      • Stamford is located in Bennington County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
  • Windham County (VT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potter Hill, with the one closest to Potter Hill listed first.
    • Somerset
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somerset have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
      • Somerset is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3 people
    • Wilmington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Whitingham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitingham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitingham
      • Whitingham is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,271 people
    • Wilmington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmington
      • Wilmington is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,786 people
    • West Dover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Stratton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Dover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,057 people
    • Jacksonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Whitingham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Podunk
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Stratton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratton
      • Stratton is located in Windham County (VT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
    • West Wardsboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Potter Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Potter Hill.

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 Potter Hill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Potter Hill had a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Potter Hill ...

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 143 newspapers that have been published in the area around Potter Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Potter Hill, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Potter Hill.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Potter Hill:

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

The official website for Rensselaer County: www.rensco.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>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.
<3>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.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Potter Hill) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Potter Hill. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.8454, Longitude: -73.3942    
<5>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.
<6>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 Potter Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025