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 Washington Heights (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 Washington Heights. 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 Washington Heights ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Washington Heights: Washington Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Washington Heights. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Washington Heights.
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 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.
Washington Heights 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 Washington Heights. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Washington Heights:
- Orange County (The home county of Washington Heights)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Middletown
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- East Middletown
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- East Middletown is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Middletown
- Scotchtown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mechanicstown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mechanicstown is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicstown
- Michigan Corners
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Michigan Corners is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michigan Corners
- New Hampton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- New Hampton is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hampton
- Stony Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Stony Ford is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Ford
- Goshen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kipps
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kipps is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipps
- Otisville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Campbell Hall
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Hamptonburgh
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hamptonburgh is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamptonburgh
- Finchville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Finchville is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchville
- Dutchess County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Beacon
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Groveville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Groveville is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveville
- Beacon Hills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Beacon Hills is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Hills
- Glenham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hughsonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Fishkill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Wappingers Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Crown Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Crown Heights is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Heights
- Brinckerhoff
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Brinckerhoff is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinckerhoff
- Spackenkill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spackenkill is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spackenkill
- Myers Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Myers Corner is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myers Corner
- Wiccopee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wiccopee is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiccopee
- Poughkeepsie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Greene County
- Cornwall-on-Hudson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- 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 Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Cold Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Nelsonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Nelsonville is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Garrison
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Glenclyffe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Glenclyffe is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenclyffe
- Continental Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Continental Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Continental Village
- Putnam Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Adams Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Adams Corners is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corners
- Rockland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Sloatsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Doodletown ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Doodletown is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doodletown
- Hillburn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pomona
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ramapo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ramapo is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramapo
- Mount Ivy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Ivy is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ivy
- Stony Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Thiells
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wesley Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wesley Hills is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,919 people
- Montebello
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Montebello is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montebello
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,579 people
- Suffern
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Viola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Viola is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viola
- West Haverstraw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- West Haverstraw is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Haverstraw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,167 people
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Bloomingburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Wurtsboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Summitville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Yankee Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Yankee Lake is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Lake
- Rock Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Glen Wild
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Thompsonville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Monticello
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Woodridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Squirrels Corners
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Squirrels Corners is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squirrels Corners
- South Fallsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pond Eddy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hurleyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ulster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Ulsterville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ulsterville is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulsterville
- Walker Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Cragsmoor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Cragsmoor is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cragsmoor
- Crawford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Crawford is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Spring Glen
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Dwaarkill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dwaarkill is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwaarkill
- Wallkill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bruynswick
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bruynswick is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruynswick
- Rutsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rutsonville is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutsonville
- Ellenville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- New Hurley
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- New Hurley is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hurley
- Napanoch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Gardiner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Westchester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Verplanck
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Buchanan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Peekskill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Montrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Crompond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Crugers
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bergen County (NJ)
- Mahwah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mahwah is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahwah
- Morris County (NJ)
- Newfoundland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Newfoundland is located in Morris County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfoundland
- Passaic County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- West Milford
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- West Milford is located in Passaic County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Macopin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Macopin is located in Passaic County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macopin
- Sussex County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Vernon Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Vernon Valley is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Valley
- Colesville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Colesville is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colesville
- Highland Lake
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Highland Lake is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
- Libertyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Libertyville is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- McCoys Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- McCoys Corner is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCoys Corner
- Hardistonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hardistonville is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardistonville
- Beaver Run
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Beaver Run is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Run
- Roys
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Roys is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roys
- Pellettown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pellettown is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pellettown
- Wykertown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wykertown is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wykertown
- Armstrong
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Armstrong is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
- Layton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Layton is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
- Normanook
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Normanook is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Normanook
- Pike County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Matamoras
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Millrift
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Millrift is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millrift
- Milford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parkers Glen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Parkers Glen is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkers Glen
- Conashaugh
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Conashaugh is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conashaugh
- Lackawaxen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Westcolang
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Westcolang is located in Pike County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westcolang
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Washington Heights, see our County-by-County Page for Washington Heights.
Cemeteries Near Washington Heights ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Washington Heights.
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 Washington Heights - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Washington Heights covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Pine Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hillside Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Pinehill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wallkill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Denton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- New Vernon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgebury Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Bloomingburg Rural Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bloomington Rural Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Old School Baptist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (215 more) ...
- Webb Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Washington Heights in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Washington Heights.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Middletown
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Scotchtown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Fair Oaks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Fair Oaks is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
- Howells
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Crystal Run
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Crystal Run is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Run
- Circleville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Hampton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- New Hampton is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hampton
- Winterton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Winterton is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterton
- Mount Hope
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mount Hope is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Stony Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Stony Ford is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Ford
- Bullville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Bullville is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullville
- Slate Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Ridgebury
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ridgebury is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgebury
- Goshen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kipps
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kipps is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipps
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Washington Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around Washington Heights.
Newspapers Published in Washington Heights ...
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 100 newspapers that have been published in the area around Washington Heights.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Washington Heights, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Washington Heights.
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 helpful 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 Washington Heights:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Orange County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dutchess County
- Greene County
- Putnam County
- Rockland County
- Sullivan County
- Ulster County
- Westchester County
- Bergen County
- Morris County
- Passaic County
- Sussex County
- Pike County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New York
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The 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. |
| <3> | 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 Washington Heights, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Washington Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |