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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 Wappingers Falls (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 Wappingers Falls. 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 Wappingers Falls ...

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.

While the name of this village is Wappingers Falls, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Wappingers Falls may originally have been Wappinger's Falls.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Wappingers Falls might be written as Wappinger Falls.

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Wappingers Falls is located in Dutchess 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 Dutchess County: Fairfield (CT), Litchfield (CT), Berkshire (MA), Columbia, Orange, Putnam & Ulster.

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

  • Dutchess County     (The home county of Wappingers Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Hughsonville
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Myers Corner
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Myers Corner is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myers Corner
    • Crown Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Crown Heights is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Heights
    • Spackenkill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Spackenkill is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spackenkill
    • Red Oaks Mill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Red Oaks Mill is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oaks Mill
    • Fishkill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Brinckerhoff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Brinckerhoff is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinckerhoff
    • Hopewell Junction
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Glenham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Groveville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Groveville is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveville
    • Wiccopee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Wiccopee is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiccopee
    • Arlington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Beacon Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Beacon Hills is located in Dutchess County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Hills
  • Greene County
    • Cornwall-on-Hudson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cornwall-on-Hudson is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall-on-Hudson
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Balmville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Balmville is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balmville
    • Cronomer Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Cronomer Valley is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cronomer Valley
    • Newburgh
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Gardnertown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Gardnertown is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardnertown
    • Leptondale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Leptondale is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leptondale
    • New Windsor
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Orange Lake
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Orange Lake is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orange Lake
    • Cornwall Landing
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
    • Cornwall-on-Hudson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Andrew
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Saint Andrew is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Andrew
    • Firthcliffe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Firthcliffe is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firthcliffe
    • Vails Gate
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Denniston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Denniston is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denniston
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Nelsonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Nelsonville is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
    • Farmers Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Farmers Mills is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Mills
    • Cold Spring
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Garrison
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Glenclyffe
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Glenclyffe is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenclyffe
    • Lake Carmel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lake Carmel is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Carmel
    • Tompkins Corners
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Tompkins Corners is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkins Corners
    • Mahopac Mines
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Mahopac Mines is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahopac Mines
    • Patterson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Adams Corners
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Adams Corners is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corners
    • Continental Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Continental Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Continental Village
    • Crafts
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Crafts is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crafts
    • Mahopac
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Rockland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Doodletown ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Doodletown is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doodletown
    • Stony Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Haverstraw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Thiells
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • West Haverstraw
      (27 miles [43.5 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
    • Mount Ivy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Mount Ivy is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ivy
    • Pomona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Congers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Bloomingburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Summitville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Wurtsboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Ulster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Marlboro
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Milton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oakes
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Oakes is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakes
    • Highland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Plattekill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Ardonia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ardonia is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardonia
    • Clintondale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sylva
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Sylva is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
    • Lloyd
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lloyd is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloyd
    • Modena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • New Hurley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • New Hurley is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hurley
    • Gardiner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • New Paltz
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Westchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Jefferson Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jefferson Village is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
    • Lake Mohegan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Lake Mohegan is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mohegan
    • Shrub Oak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Shenorock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Crompond
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Peekskill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Yorktown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Yorktown is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • Granite Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Heritage Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Heritage Hills is located in Westchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Hills
    • Lincolndale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Somers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Buchanan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Montrose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Fairfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Sherman
      (21 miles [33.8 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Ball Pond
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ball Pond is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Pond
    • New Fairfield
      (23 miles [37 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
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Danbury
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Danbury is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84,317 people
    • Brookfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Danbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Danbury is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84,317 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danbury <2>
    • Brookfield Center
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Brookfield Center is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Center
    • Brookfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Brookfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,900 people
    • Ridgefield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Ridgefield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 24,898 people
    • Bethel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Litchfield County (CT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wappingers Falls, with the one closest to Wappingers Falls listed first.
    • Bulls Bridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Bulls Bridge is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulls Bridge
    • New Milford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • New Milford is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Milford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,683 people
    • Gaylordsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Merwinsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Merwinsville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merwinsville
    • South Kent
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Kent
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Candlewood Lake Club
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Candlewood Lake Club is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candlewood Lake Club
    • Chimney Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Chimney Point is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimney Point
    • Kent
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Kent is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,766 people
    • Lanesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Lanesville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
    • New Milford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Northville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Northville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northville
    • Bridgewater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Wappingers Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wappingers Falls.

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 Wappingers Falls - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Middlebush Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Fishkill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Cosman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • First Reformed Protestant Dutch Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Rombout Rural Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Milton Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Hicksite Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Highland Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (285 more) ...

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 Wappingers Falls had a population of 3,718 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Wappingers Falls had a population of 5,509 people.

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

  • New Hamburg
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • New Hamburg is located in Dutchess County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hamburg
  • Hughsonville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • New Hackensack
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • New Hackensack is located in Dutchess County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hackensack
  • Stoneco
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Stoneco is located in Dutchess County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneco
  • Marlboro
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Roseton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Roseton is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseton
  • Fishkill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Brinckerhoff
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Brinckerhoff is located in Dutchess County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinckerhoff
  • Milton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Fishkill Plains
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fishkill Plains is located in Dutchess County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishkill Plains
  • Middle Hope
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Groveville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Groveville is located in Dutchess County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveville
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Glenham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Hopewell Junction
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Oakes
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Oakes is located in Ulster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakes

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Wappingers Falls ...

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 119 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wappingers Falls.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Wappingers Falls. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Wappingers Falls and those printed in the larger area surrounding Wappingers Falls.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<5> of Wappingers Falls.

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 Wappingers Falls:

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 Wappingers Falls, 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 from Point A (ie- Wappingers Falls) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.