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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 Sodus (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 Sodus. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Sodus is located in Wayne 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 Wayne County: Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario & Seneca.

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

  • Wayne County     (The home county of Sodus)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sodus, with the one closest to Sodus listed first.
    • Sodus Point
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pultneyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • South Sodus
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • South Sodus is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sodus
    • York
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • York is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
    • Williamson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Wayne Center
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Wayne Center is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne Center
    • Fairville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Fairville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairville
    • Huron
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Huron is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huron
    • North Huron
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • North Huron is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Huron
    • Marion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Orchard Grove Village Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • East Palmyra
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • East Palmyra is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Palmyra
  • Cayuga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sodus, with the one closest to Sodus listed first.
    • Fair Haven
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Victory
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Victory is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory
    • North Victory
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • North Victory is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Victory
    • Sterling Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Sterling Valley is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling Valley
    • North Sterling
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • North Sterling is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sterling
    • Cato
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Ira
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Ira is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
    • Meridian
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Port Byron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Port Byron is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Byron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,181 people
      • Former name for Port Byron:
      • Bucksville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Byron <1>
    • Cayuga
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Weedsport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Throop
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Throop is located in Cayuga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Throop
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sodus, with the one closest to Sodus listed first.
    • Webster
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Fairport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Penfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • East Rochester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • East Rochester is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rochester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,458 people
    • Pittsford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • German Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • German Village is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Village
    • Glen Haven
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Glen Haven is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Haven
    • Brighton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Brighton is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
    • Irondequoit
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • White City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • White City is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White City
    • Windsor Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Windsor Beach is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsor Beach
    • Charlotte
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Charlotte is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
  • Onondaga County
    • Lysander
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Lysander is located in Onondaga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lysander
  • Ontario County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sodus, with the one closest to Sodus listed first.
    • Port Gibson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Thompson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Thompson is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
    • Clifton Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Phelps
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • West Junius
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • West Junius is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Junius
    • Manchester
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Shortsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Melvin Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Melvin Hill is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin Hill
    • Dobbins Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Dobbins Corner is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbins Corner
    • Hopewell Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Hopewell Center is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell Center
    • Seneca Castle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Victor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Oswego County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sodus, with the one closest to Sodus listed first.
    • Hannibal
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Fairdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Fairdale is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Southwest Oswego
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Southwest Oswego is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwest Oswego
    • Furniss
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Furniss is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furniss
    • Oswego Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oswego Center is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswego Center
    • Bowens Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Bowens Corners is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowens Corners
    • Granby Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Granby Center is located in Oswego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granby Center
  • Seneca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sodus, with the one closest to Sodus listed first.
    • Tyre
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tyre is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyre
    • Border City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Border City is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Border City
    • Waterloo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Seneca Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Canoga
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Canoga is located in Seneca County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canoga

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

Cemeteries Near Sodus ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sodus.

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

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

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

  • St. John's Episcopal Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Sodus Rural Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old Mill Street Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Bushnell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Swales Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Kitchen Burial Plot
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Centenary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Joy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Brick Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Espenschied Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Gilbert Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Zurich Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (303 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sodus had a population of 1,028 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Sodus had a population of 1,696 people.

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

  • Sodus Center
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Sodus Center is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodus Center
  • Wallington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Wallington is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallington
  • Joy
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Joy is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joy
  • Alton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Sodus Point
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • East Williamson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • East Williamson is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Williamson
  • Zurich
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Zurich is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zurich
  • South Sodus
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • South Sodus is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Sodus
  • Pultneyville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Williamson
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Wayne Center
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wayne Center is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne Center
  • Lummisville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Lummisville is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lummisville
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Fairville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Fairville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairville
    • Marion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • North Rose
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sodus ...

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 155 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sodus.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sodus. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sodus and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sodus.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<4> of Sodus.

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 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 Sodus:

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 Sodus, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sodus) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.