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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 Sawyer (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 Sawyer. 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 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.

Sawyer is located in Niagara 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 Niagara County: Erie, Genesee & Orleans.

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

  • Niagara County     (The home county of Sawyer)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Wurlitzer Park Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Hoffman
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
    • Martinsville
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Martinsville is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
    • Park Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • North Tonawanda
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
    • Pendleton Center
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
    • Bergholtz
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
    • Black Creek Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
    • Pekin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Pekin is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
    • Lockport Junction
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lockport Junction is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport Junction
    • Colonial Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Tonawanda
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Getzville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Amherst
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Kenmore
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Swormville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Swormville is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
    • Grandyle Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Grandyle Village is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandyle Village
    • Williamsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Ferry Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Ferry Village is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Village
    • Wolcottsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Wolcottsburg is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsburg
    • Harris Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Harris Hill is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
    • Clarence Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bowmansville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Amherst
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Amherst is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
    • Alabama
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Alabama is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
    • Basom
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Indian Falls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
    • Corfu
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • North Pembroke
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
    • Wheatville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Wheatville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
    • Sawens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Sawens is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
    • Griswold
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Griswold is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
    • Oakfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Bushville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Bushville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushville
    • Ridgewood Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Ridgewood Village is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
  • Orleans County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Jeddo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jeddo is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
    • Lakewood Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
    • Medina
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lyndonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • West Barre
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • West Barre is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barre
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawyer, with the one closest to Sawyer listed first.
    • Folsomdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
    • Harris Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners

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

Cemeteries Near Sawyer ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sawyer.

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

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

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

  • St. Matthews Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Friedens Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. Martin's Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • White Chapel Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Acacia Park Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Fairmount Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Beach Ridge Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • White Haven Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bear Ridge Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (311 more) ...
    • Wheatfield Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Holy Ghost Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Francis Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)

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>

While we didn't find Sawyer in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sawyer.

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

  • Martinsville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Martinsville is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
  • Hoffman
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
  • Beach Ridge
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Beach Ridge is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach Ridge
  • North Tonawanda
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
  • Saint Johnsburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
  • Tonawanda
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Wendelville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Wendelville is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendelville
  • Getzville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Pendleton Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
  • Mapleton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mapleton is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleton
  • Shawnee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Shawnee is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
  • Bergholtz
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Sanborn
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Kenmore
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Pendleton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Pendleton is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton

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

Newspapers Published in Sawyer ...

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 297 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sawyer.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sawyer, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sawyer.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Sawyer:

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 Sawyer, 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' (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- Sawyer) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.