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 West Copake (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 West Copake. 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 West Copake ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Copake: W. Copake
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.
West Copake is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Litchfield (CT), Berkshire (MA), Albany, Dutchess, Greene, Rensselaer & Ulster.
Below are the counties that are near West Copake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Copake:
- Columbia County (The home county of West Copake)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Copake
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Copake Lake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Copake Lake is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copake Lake
- Weed Mines
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weed Mines is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weed Mines
- Copake Falls
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ancram
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Suydam ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Suydam is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suydam
- Craryville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Taghkanic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ancramdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Silvernails
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Silvernails is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silvernails
- West Taghkanic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- West Taghkanic is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Taghkanic
- Churchtown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Churchtown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchtown
- Glenco Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Glenco Mills is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenco Mills
- Albany County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Aquetuck
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Aquetuck is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquetuck
- Coeymans
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ravena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Coeymans Hollow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dutchess County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Pine Plains
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Irondale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Irondale is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
- Jackson Corners
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jackson Corners is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Corners
- Mount Ross
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Ross is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ross
- Bethel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Millerton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Spencer Corners
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Spencer Corners is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Corners
- Smithfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Smithfield is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithfield
- Milan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Milan is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
- Rock City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rock City is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Upper Red Hook
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Upper Red Hook is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Red Hook
- Bangall
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Leedsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Leedsville is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leedsville
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Athens
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Catskill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Catskill is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catskill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,815 people
- Jefferson Heights
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Heights is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Heights
- Leeds
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Kiskatom
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Kiskatom is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiskatom
- Coxsackie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cairo Junction
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cairo Junction is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo Junction
- South Cairo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- South Cairo is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Cairo
- Palenville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Cairo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Round Top
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gayhead
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gayhead is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayhead
- Medway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Medway is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medway
- Rensselaer County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Brainard
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Schodack Landing
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Nassau
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- East Nassau
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- East Nassau is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Nassau
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Ulster County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Malden
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Malden is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malden
- Malden has also been known as:
- Malden-on-Hudson
- Saugerties
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Glasco
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mount Marion Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Mount Marion Park is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Marion Park
- Mount Marion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Quarryville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Quarryville is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quarryville
- East Kingston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- East Kingston is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Kingston
- Lake Katrine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Ruby
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lincoln Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln Park is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Park
- Ponck Hockie
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Ponck Hockie is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponck Hockie
- High Woods
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- High Woods is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Woods
- Connelly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Litchfield County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Taconic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lakeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ore Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ore Hill is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ore Hill
- Salisbury
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Salisbury is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,584 people
- Salisbury
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Twin Lakes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Twin Lakes is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Canaan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Wangum Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Wangum Village is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wangum Village
- North Canaan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- North Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canaan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
- Amesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Amesville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amesville
- Falls Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lime Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lime Rock is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Rock
- Clayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Clayton is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Berkshire County (MA)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Mount Washington
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mount Washington is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Egremont
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egremont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,202 people
- South Egremont
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- South Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Egremont
- Egremont Plain
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Egremont Plain is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egremont Plain
- North Egremont
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- North Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Egremont
- Sheffield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Sheffield is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,112 people
- Ashley Falls
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Ashley Falls is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Falls
- Alford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Alford is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
- Great Barrington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Great Barrington is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,976 people
- Van Deusenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Van Deusenville is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Deusenville
- Clayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Clayton is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Gomorrah
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Gomorrah is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomorrah
- Housatonic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Housatonic is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Housatonic
- Hampden County (MA)
- Tolland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Tolland is located in Hampden County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Copake, see our County-by-County Page for West Copake.
Cemeteries Near West Copake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Copake.
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 West Copake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Copake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- West Copake Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Copake Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Old St. Bridget's Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Ancram Old Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ancram Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Williams Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Niver Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Hillsdale Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Churchill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Collins Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Irondale Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (262 more) ...
- Chapinville Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Our Lady Of The Valley Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Crum Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
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.<5>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Copake had a population of 74 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Copake, with the one closest to West Copake listed first.
- Copake
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Weed Mines
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weed Mines is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weed Mines
- Ancram
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Boston Corner
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Boston Corner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston Corner
- Suydam ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Suydam is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suydam
- Craryville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mount Washington is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 156 people
- Taghkanic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Gallatinville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gallatinville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallatinville
- Alander
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alander is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alander
- Silvernails
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Silvernails is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silvernails
- Mount Riga
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Riga is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Riga
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- West Taghkanic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- West Taghkanic is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Taghkanic
- Pine Plains
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Martindale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Martindale is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martindale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Copake. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Copake.
Newspapers Published in West Copake ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Copake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Copake, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Copake.
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 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 West Copake:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albany County
- Dutchess County
- Greene County
- Rensselaer County
- Ulster County
- Litchfield County
- Berkshire County
- Hampden 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 Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MACRIS (for the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System). More information about the MHC and MACRIS can be found on their website: mhc-macris.net.
When visiting the MACRIS website, you might encounter their page requiring the 'Acceptance of Terms'. With your acceptance, you'll be transfered to the desired page.
|
| <3> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- West Copake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | 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 West Copake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |