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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 Vails Gate Junction (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 Vails Gate Junction. 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 Vails Gate Junction ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Vails Gate Junction: Vails Gate Jct. (or less commonly used: Vails Gate Jctn.)
  • While the name of this community is Vails Gate Junction, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Vails Gate Junction may originally have been Vail's Gate Junction.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Vails Gate Junction might be written as Vail Gate Junction.

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.

Vails Gate Junction is located in Orange 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 Orange County: Passaic (NJ), Sussex (NJ), Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster & Pike (PA).

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

  • Orange County     (The home county of Vails Gate Junction)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Vails Gate
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Orrs Mill
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Orrs Mill is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Mill
    • Firthcliffe
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Firthcliffe is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firthcliffe
    • New Windsor
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • West Cornwall
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • West Cornwall is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cornwall
    • Cornwall-on-Hudson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Beaverdam Lake
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Beaverdam Lake is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdam Lake
    • Denniston
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Denniston is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denniston
    • Cornwall Landing
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
    • Newburgh
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Salisbury Mills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Britain
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Little Britain is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Britain
    • Mountainville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Dutchess County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Beacon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Beacon is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,930 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beacon <2>
    • Beacon Hills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Beacon Hills is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Hills
    • Groveville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Groveville is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveville
    • Glenham
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Fishkill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Hughsonville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brinckerhoff
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Brinckerhoff is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinckerhoff
    • Wappingers Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Wiccopee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Wiccopee is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiccopee
    • Crown Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Crown Heights is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Heights
    • Shenandoah
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Shenandoah is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
    • Myers Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Myers Corner is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myers Corner
    • East Fishkill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • East Fishkill is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fishkill
  • Greene County
    • Cornwall-on-Hudson
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Cornwall-on-Hudson is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall-on-Hudson
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Nelsonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Nelsonville is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
    • Cold Spring
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Garrison
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Glenclyffe
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Glenclyffe is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenclyffe
    • Continental Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Continental Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Continental Village
    • Putnam Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Adams Corners
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Adams Corners is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corners
    • Tompkins Corners
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Tompkins Corners is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkins Corners
    • Farmers Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Farmers Mills is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Mills
    • Mahopac Mines
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Mahopac Mines is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahopac Mines
    • Mahopac
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Crafts
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Crafts is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crafts
    • Lake Carmel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Lake Carmel is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Carmel
  • Rockland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Doodletown ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Doodletown is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doodletown
    • Stony Point
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Thiells
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • West Haverstraw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • West Haverstraw is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Haverstraw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,167 people
    • Haverstraw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Mount Ivy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Mount Ivy is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ivy
    • Pomona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Wesley Hills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Wesley Hills is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,919 people
    • New City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • New City is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
    • New Hempstead
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • New Hempstead is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hempstead
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,456 people
    • Sloatsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Congers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Hillcrest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Hillcrest is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Bloomingburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Summitville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Wurtsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Yankee Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Yankee Lake is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Lake
    • Rock Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Glen Wild
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ulster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Plattekill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Marlboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Wallkill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sylva
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Sylva is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
    • New Hurley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • New Hurley is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hurley
    • Ardonia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Ardonia is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardonia
    • Milton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Modena
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Gardiner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Clintondale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Oakes
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Oakes is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakes
    • Bruynswick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bruynswick is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruynswick
    • Dwaarkill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Dwaarkill is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwaarkill
  • Westchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Peekskill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Buchanan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lake Mohegan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Mohegan is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mohegan
    • Verplanck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Crompond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Montrose
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Shrub Oak
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jefferson Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jefferson Village is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
    • Crugers
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodybrook
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodybrook is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodybrook
    • Yorktown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Yorktown is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • Granite Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Shenorock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Fairfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Ball Pond
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Ball Pond is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Pond
    • New Fairfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • New Fairfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Fairfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,792 people
    • New Fairfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Danbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Danbury is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84,317 people
    • Ridgefield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Ridgefield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,898 people
    • Sherman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Sherman is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,610 people
    • Sherman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Bergen County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Mahwah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Mahwah is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahwah
    • Park Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Park Ridge is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Ridge
    • Ackermans Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Ackermans Mills is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackermans Mills
  • Passaic County (NJ)
    • West Milford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • West Milford is located in Passaic County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
  • Sussex County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vails Gate Junction, with the one closest to Vails Gate Junction listed first.
    • Vernon Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Vernon Valley is located in Sussex County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Valley
    • Highland Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Highland Lake is located in Sussex County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake

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

Cemeteries Near Vails Gate Junction ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vails Gate Junction.

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 Vails Gate Junction - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Thomas Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Willow Dell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Snake Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Belknap Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Belknap Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Edwards Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Patrick's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hebrew Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (283 more) ...
    • Oldtown Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • St. Lukes Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Vails Gate Junction had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Vails Gate
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Meadowbrook
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Meadowbrook is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
  • Orrs Mill
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Orrs Mill is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Mill
  • West Cornwall
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • West Cornwall is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cornwall
  • Cornwall-on-Hudson
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • New Windsor
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Denniston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Denniston is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denniston
  • Salisbury Mills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cornwall Landing
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
  • Newburgh
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Little Britain
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Little Britain is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Britain
  • Mountainville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Dutchess Junction
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Dutchess Junction is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchess Junction
    • East Coldenham
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • East Coldenham is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Coldenham
    • Washingtonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Vails Gate Junction ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vails Gate Junction.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vails Gate Junction, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vails Gate Junction.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Vails Gate Junction:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Vails Gate Junction, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Vails Gate Junction) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.