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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 Vandalia (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 Vandalia. 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 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.

Vandalia is located in Cattaraugus 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 Cattaraugus County: Allegany, Chautauqua, Erie, Wyoming, McKean (PA) & Warren (PA).

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

  • Cattaraugus County     (The home county of Vandalia)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • Chipmunk
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chipmunk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
      • Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Carrollton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carrollton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
      • Carrollton is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Allegany
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allegany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allegany
      • Allegany is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,685 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allegany <2>
    • Saint Bonaventure
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Bonaventure have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Bonaventure
      • Saint Bonaventure is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Bonaventure <2>
    • Limestone
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • New Ireland ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Ireland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ireland
      • New Ireland is located in Cattaraugus County
      • New Ireland has also been known as:
      • Irish Town
      • Little Ireland
    • Kill Buck
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Olean
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
      • Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <2>
    • Humphrey
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
      • Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Peth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peth
      • Peth is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Four Mile
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Mile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
      • Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Rock City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
      • Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Great Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Allegany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • West Clarksville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
      • West Clarksville is located in Allegany County
    • Cuba
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuba have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
      • Cuba is located in Allegany County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,460 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <2>
    • Bowler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
      • Bowler is located in Allegany County
    • Little Genesee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Lyons Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons Corners
      • Lyons Corners is located in Allegany County
    • Bolivar
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Richburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Black Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Kossuth
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
      • Kossuth is located in Allegany County
    • Friendship
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Friendship have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
      • Friendship is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Friendship <2>
    • Vosburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg
      • Vosburg is located in Allegany County
    • Rushford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Alma
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
      • Alma is located in Allegany County
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • Ivory
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivory
      • Ivory is located in Chautauqua County
    • Kennedy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Frewsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Cherry Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
      • Cherry Creek is located in Chautauqua County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 431 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cherry Creek <2>
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • Springville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
      • Springville is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springville <2>
    • Morton Corners
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morton Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Corners
      • Morton Corners is located in Erie County
  • McKean County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • Tuna
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
      • Tuna is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Derrick City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Foster Brook
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
      • Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Bradford
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Dallas City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dallas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
      • Dallas City is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Sawyer City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer City
      • Sawyer City is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Summit
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Duke Center
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
      • Duke Center is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Custer City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Custer City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer City
      • Custer City is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Custer City <2>
    • Degolia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Degolia
      • Degolia is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Rew
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rew
      • Rew is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Eldred
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldred
      • Eldred is located in McKean County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 754 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eldred <2>
    • Allen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Allen is located in McKean County (PA)
  • Potter County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • Shinglehouse
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • East Sharon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sharon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
      • East Sharon is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Honeoye
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Honeoye have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honeoye
      • Honeoye is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Millport
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
      • Millport is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Williston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
      • Williston is located in Potter County (PA)
    • Chrystal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chrystal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrystal
      • Chrystal is located in Potter County (PA)
  • Warren County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
    • Kinzua ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
      • Kinzua is located in Warren County (PA)
    • Hemlock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
      • Hemlock is located in Warren County (PA)

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

Newspapers Published in Vandalia ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vandalia.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vandalia, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vandalia.

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 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 Vandalia:

Cemeteries Near Vandalia ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vandalia.

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

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

  • Limestone Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Limestone Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Limestone Cemetery
  • Allegany Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Bonaventure Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Fivemile Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fivemile Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fivemile Cemetery
  • Kill Buck Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kill Buck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kill Buck Cemetery
  • Willoughby Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Mt. View Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. View Cemetery
  • Green Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Cemetery
  • Humphrey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Humphrey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Humphrey Cemetery
  • St. Pacificus Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Ellicott Street Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellicott Street Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellicott Street Catholic Cemetery
  • Continue List   (185 more) ...
    • Calvary Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Wildwood Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Chamberlain Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chamberlain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chamberlain Cemetery

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Vandalia had a population of 100 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • South Vandalia
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Vandalia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Vandalia
    • South Vandalia is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Chipmunk
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chipmunk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
    • Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Irvine Mills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irvine Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvine Mills
    • Irvine Mills is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Carrollton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carrollton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
    • Carrollton is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Allegany
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allegany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allegany
    • Allegany is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,685 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allegany <2>
  • South Carrollton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Carrollton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Carrollton
    • South Carrollton is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Limestone
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Kill Buck
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Tuna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuna have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
    • Tuna is located in McKean County (PA)
  • Four Mile
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Mile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
    • Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Olean
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
    • Olean is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <2>
  • Humphrey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Humphrey
    • Humphrey is located in Cattaraugus County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Foster Brook
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster Brook have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
      • Foster Brook is located in McKean County (PA)
    • Derrick City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Gilmore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
      • Gilmore is located in McKean County (PA)

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

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

The official website for Cattaraugus County: www.co.cattaraugus.ny.us/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Vandalia) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vandalia. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.0962, Longitude: -78.5797       In this case, the coordinates for Vandalia have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Vandalia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024