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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 Spring Mills (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 Spring Mills. 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 Spring Mills ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Spring Mills: Spring Mls. (or less commonly used: Spring Mlls.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Spring Mills. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Spring Mills.

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 and hospitals 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.

Spring Mills is located in Allegany 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 Allegany County: Cattaraugus, Livingston, Steuben, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Potter (PA).

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

  • Allegany County     (The home county of Spring Mills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Mills, with the one closest to Spring Mills listed first.
    • Whitesville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Paynesville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Independence
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Independence is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
    • Hallsport
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hallsport is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsport
    • Stannards
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stannards is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stannards
    • Andover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Dyke
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Dyke is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyke
    • Elm Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Elm Valley is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Valley
    • Wellsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Petrolia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Petrolia is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrolia
    • Pikeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Pikeville is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeville
    • Alma
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Alma is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
  • Cattaraugus County
    • Portville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Steuben County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Mills, with the one closest to Spring Mills listed first.
    • Rexville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Troupsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • South Troupsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • South Troupsburg is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Troupsburg
    • Jasper
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Hartsville is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
    • South Canisteo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • South Canisteo is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Canisteo
    • Woodhull
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Canisteo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hedgesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Hedgesville is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedgesville
    • Adrian
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Adrian is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
    • Cameron
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • McKean County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Mills, with the one closest to Spring Mills listed first.
    • Myrtle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Myrtle is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
    • Port Allegany
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Potter County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Mills, with the one closest to Spring Mills listed first.
    • North Bingham
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • North Bingham is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bingham
    • West Bingham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • West Bingham is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bingham
    • Genesee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Genesee is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
    • North Fork
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • North Fork is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
    • Ulysses
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Harrison Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Harrison Valley is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Valley
    • Ellisburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellisburg is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisburg
    • Newfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Newfield is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfield
    • Elmer
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Elmer is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
    • Gold
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Gold is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold
    • Brookland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Brookland is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookland
    • Hector
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hector is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hector
  • Tioga County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spring Mills, with the one closest to Spring Mills listed first.
    • Potter Brook
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Potter Brook is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter Brook
    • Austinburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Austinburg is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austinburg
    • Westfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cowanesque
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Cowanesque is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowanesque
    • Knoxville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Gurnee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Gurnee is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurnee
    • Osceola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Osceola is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Manhattan
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Manhattan is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manhattan
    • Elkland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Elkland is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,724 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkland <1>
    • Ansonia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Asaph
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Asaph is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asaph
    • Marsh Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Marsh Creek is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Creek

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

Cemeteries Near Spring Mills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spring Mills.

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 Spring Mills - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • North Bingham Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Spring Mills Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Whitesville Rural Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Kenyon Road Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Briggs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Independence Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • West Union Mennonite Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Beech Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ulysses Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Kelly Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (239 more) ...
    • Hauber Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • West Union Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Hallsport Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

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 Spring Mills had a population of 108 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • North Bingham
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • North Bingham is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bingham
  • Whitesville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Bingham Center
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Bingham Center is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bingham Center
  • Genesee
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Genesee is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
  • West Bingham
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • West Bingham is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bingham
  • Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mills is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills
  • Independence
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Independence is located in Allegany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
  • West Union
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • West Union is located in Steuben County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
  • Hallsport
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hallsport is located in Allegany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsport
  • Shongo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Shongo is located in Allegany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shongo
  • Ulysses
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Harrison Valley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Harrison Valley is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Valley
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • North Fork
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • North Fork is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
    • Fulmer Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fulmer Valley is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulmer Valley
    • Rexville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Spring Mills ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spring Mills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spring Mills, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spring Mills.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Spring Mills:

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 Spring Mills, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Spring Mills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.