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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 Tonawanda (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 Tonawanda. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Tonawanda is located in Erie 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 Erie County: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara & Wyoming.

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

  • Erie County     (The home county of Tonawanda)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tonawanda, with the one closest to Tonawanda listed first.
    • Kenmore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Amherst
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ferry Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ferry Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry Village
      • Ferry Village is located in Erie County
    • Grandyle Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandyle Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandyle Village
      • Grandyle Village is located in Erie County
    • Getzville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Williamsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
      • Williamsville is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsville <1>
    • Buffalo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Swormville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Cheektowaga
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sloan
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sloan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
      • Sloan is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
    • Harris Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bowmansville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarence Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarence Center have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence Center
      • Clarence Center is located in Erie County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarence Center <1>
  • Genesee County
  • Niagara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tonawanda, with the one closest to Tonawanda listed first.
    • Park Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
    • North Tonawanda
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Martinsville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wurlitzer Park Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wurlitzer Park Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurlitzer Park Village
      • Wurlitzer Park Village is located in Niagara County
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Hoffman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Bergholtz
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bergholtz. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
      • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bergholtz
      • From Tonawanda to Bergholtz
    • Black Creek Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
      • Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
    • Pendleton Center
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Colonial Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
      • Colonial Village is located in Niagara County
    • Niagara Falls
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pekin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pekin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pekin
      • Pekin is located in Niagara County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pekin
      • From Tonawanda to Pekin
    • Lockport Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Orleans County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Tonawanda, with the one closest to Tonawanda listed first.
    • Jeddo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakewood Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakewood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
      • Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
    • Medina
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Wyoming County

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

Cemeteries Near Tonawanda ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tonawanda.

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

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

  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • City Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Salem Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Elmlawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmlawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Haven Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Haven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • White Chapel Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Chapel Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Chapel Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Martin's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Martin's Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Martin's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Matthews Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Matthews Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Matthews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Friedens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Friedens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Friedens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (319 more) ...
    • St. Marks Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marks Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Maple Grove Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Pauls Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Tonawanda had a population of 7,145 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Tonawanda had a population of 14,755 people.

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

  • North Tonawanda
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Kenmore
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Martinsville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hoffman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Johnsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Eggertsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eggertsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eggertsville
    • Eggertsville is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eggertsville <1>
  • Getzville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Beach Ridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach Ridge
    • Beach Ridge is located in Niagara County
  • Bergholtz
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bergholtz. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
    • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bergholtz
    • From Tonawanda to Bergholtz
  • Snyder
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snyder have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
    • Snyder is located in Erie County
  • Wendelville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wendelville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendelville
    • Wendelville is located in Niagara County
  • La Salle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Salle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Salle
    • La Salle is located in Niagara County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Williamsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
      • Williamsville is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,171 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Williamsville <1>
    • Shawnee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shawnee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawnee
      • Shawnee is located in Niagara County
    • Buffalo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Tonawanda ...

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 96 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tonawanda.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Tonawanda. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Tonawanda and those printed in the larger area surrounding Tonawanda.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<6> of Tonawanda.

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 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 Tonawanda:

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

The official website for Erie County: www.erie.gov/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Tonawanda, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Tonawanda) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Tonawanda. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.0164, Longitude: -78.8790    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025