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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 Upper Benson (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 Upper Benson. 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.

Upper Benson is located in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County: Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Herkimer, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga & Warren.

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

  • Hamilton County     (The home county of Upper Benson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Benson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Benson is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
    • Hope
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Hope is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
    • Blackbridge ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Blackbridge is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackbridge
    • Arietta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Arietta is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arietta
    • Wells
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Gilmantown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Gilmantown is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmantown
    • Piseco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Speculator
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Morehouseville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Morehouseville is located in Hamilton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morehouseville
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Northville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jackson Summit
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jackson Summit is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Summit
    • Cranberry Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cranberry Creek is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Creek
    • Mayfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Berkshire
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Berkshire is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkshire
    • Gloversville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Meco
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Meco is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meco
    • North Broadalbin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • North Broadalbin is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Broadalbin
    • Progress
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Progress is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
    • Broadalbin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Union Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Union Mills is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Mills
    • Rockwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Rockwood is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
  • Herkimer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Salisbury Center
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Dolgeville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Salisbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Salisbury is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Fort Plain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Gray
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Gray is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gray
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Fonda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Fonda is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fonda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 750 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fonda <1>
    • Fort Johnson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Fultonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Tribes Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Wallins Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Wallins Corners is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallins Corners
    • Hagaman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Harrower
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Harrower is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrower
    • Amsterdam
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Auriesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rockton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rockton is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
    • Randall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Randall is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randall
    • Saint Johnsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Saratoga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Edinburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Batchellerville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Batchellerville is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batchellerville
    • Day Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Day Center is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Center
    • Hagedorns Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hagedorns Mills is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagedorns Mills
    • Whiteside Corners
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Whiteside Corners is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteside Corners
    • Allentown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Allentown is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allentown
    • Mosherville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Mosherville is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosherville
    • Galway
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Porter Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • South Corinth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • South Corinth is located in Saratoga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Corinth
    • Hadley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Rock City Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Schenectady County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Glenville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pattersonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pattersonville - Rotterdam Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rotterdam Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mariaville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Upper Benson, with the one closest to Upper Benson listed first.
    • Harrisburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Harrisburg is located in Warren County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
    • Stony Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Luzerne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Athol
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bakers Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Upper Benson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Upper Benson.

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 Upper Benson - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Bleeker Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Willard Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Wadswarth Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bleecker Center Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Gifford Valley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Main Street Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Prospect Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Berry Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Christie Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Five Point Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (238 more) ...
    • Mayfield Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Riceville Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Munsonville Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)

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 Upper Benson in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Upper Benson.

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

  • Benson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Benson is located in Hamilton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
  • Hope
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hope is located in Hamilton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
  • Sacandaga Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Sacandaga Park is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacandaga Park
  • Cranberry Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cranberry Creek is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Creek
  • Northville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Bleecker
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Bleecker is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bleecker
  • Arietta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Arietta is located in Hamilton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arietta
  • Mayfield
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Wells
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Edinburg
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Kingsboro
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Kingsboro is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsboro
  • Munsonville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Munsonville is located in Fulton County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munsonville
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Gloversville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • North Broadalbin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • North Broadalbin is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Broadalbin
    • Benedict
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Benedict is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benedict

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

Newspapers Published in Upper Benson ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Upper Benson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Upper Benson, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Upper Benson.

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 Upper Benson:

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- Upper Benson) 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 Upper Benson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.