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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 Thornton (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 Thornton. 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 and doctors 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.

Thornton is located in Chautauqua 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 Chautauqua County: Cattaraugus, Erie, Erie (PA) & Warren (PA).

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

  • Chautauqua County     (The home county of Thornton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Cherry Creek
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sinclairville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Gerry
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Kennedy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Ross Mills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ross Mills is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross Mills
    • Moons
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Moons is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moons
    • South Stockton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • South Stockton is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Stockton
    • Cassadaga
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Poland Center
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Poland Center is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poland Center
    • Falconer
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Wango
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Wango is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
    • Celoron
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Fluvanna
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Fluvanna is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fluvanna
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Conewango
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
    • Leon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • South Dayton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Axeville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Axeville is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axeville
    • Randolph
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cottage
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cottage is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage
    • East Randolph
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • East Randolph is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Randolph
      • Estimated population in 2012: 615 people
    • Napoli
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Napoli is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napoli
    • Persia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
    • Cattaraugus
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Perrysburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Otto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Gowanda
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Gowanda is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowanda <1>
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Brant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Farnham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Shirley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Shirley is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirley
    • Lake Erie Beach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Lake Erie Beach is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Erie Beach
    • North Collins
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Angola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Pontiac
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Pontiac is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pontiac
    • Morton Corners
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
    • Angola-on-the-Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Angola-on-the-Lake is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angola-on-the-Lake
    • Concord
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Concord is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Wyandale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wyandale is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyandale
    • Eden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Derby
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Warren County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thornton, with the one closest to Thornton listed first.
    • Sugar Grove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Putnamville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Putnamville is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnamville
    • Bear Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lottsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lottsville is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lottsville
    • Sugar Run ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Sugar Run is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Run
    • East Warren
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • East Warren is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Warren
    • Warren
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Warren is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,974 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warren <1>
    • Hemlock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Hemlock is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
    • Irvine
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Kinzua ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Kinzua is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
    • Youngsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Big Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Big Bend is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend

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

Cemeteries Near Thornton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thornton.

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

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

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

  • Gerry Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Valley View Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Charlotte Center Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Little Clear Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gerry Village Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Tucker Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Rutledge Rural Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • West Amish Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (209 more) ...
    • Leon Hollow Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Luce Hill Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Bird Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Cherry Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ellington
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Charlotte Center
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Charlotte Center is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte Center
  • Clear Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Clear Creek is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Creek
  • Conewango Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Sinclairville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Gerry
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Conewango
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
  • Ross Mills
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ross Mills is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross Mills
  • Kennedy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Waterboro
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Waterboro is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterboro
  • Leon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hamlet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Hamlet is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlet
    • Moons
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Moons is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moons
    • Griswold
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Griswold is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold

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

Newspapers Published in Thornton ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thornton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thornton, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thornton.

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 Thornton:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Thornton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Thornton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.