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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 West Gaines (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 Gaines. 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 Gaines ...

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 Gaines: W. Gaines

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 southwest 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 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 west 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 Gaines is located in Orleans 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 Orleans County: Genesee, Monroe & Niagara.

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

  • Orleans County     (The home county of West Gaines)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gaines, with the one closest to West Gaines listed first.
    • Kenyonville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Kenyonville is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenyonville
    • Eagle Harbor
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Eagle Harbor is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor
    • Gaines
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Gaines is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaines
    • Kuckville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Kuckville is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kuckville
    • Lyndonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Albion
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Medina
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakewood Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
    • Kent
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Shadigee
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Shadigee is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadigee
    • Jeddo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jeddo is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
    • West Barre
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • West Barre is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barre
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gaines, with the one closest to West Gaines listed first.
    • Akron
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Akron Junction
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Akron Junction is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akron Junction
    • Wolcottsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Wolcottsburg is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolcottsburg
    • Crittenden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Clarence Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Swormville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Swormville is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
    • Alden Center
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Alden Center is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden Center
    • Looneyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Looneyville is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Looneyville
    • Alden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Getzville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Harris Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Harris Hill is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
    • Bowmansville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gaines, with the one closest to West Gaines listed first.
    • Wheatville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Wheatville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
    • Alabama
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Alabama is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
    • Oakfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Basom
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Elba
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Elba is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elba
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 627 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elba <1>
    • North Pembroke
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
    • Indian Falls
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
    • Ridgewood Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Ridgewood Village is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
    • Bushville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Bushville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushville
    • South Byron
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • South Byron is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Byron
    • Batavia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jericon Corners
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jericon Corners is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericon Corners
  • Livingston County
    • Caledonia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gaines, with the one closest to West Gaines listed first.
    • Redman Corners
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Redman Corners is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redman Corners
    • Brockport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Clarkson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Hamlin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Sweden Center
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Sweden Center is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweden Center
    • North Hamlin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • North Hamlin is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hamlin
    • Otis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Otis is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otis
    • Adams Basin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Hinkleyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Hinkleyville is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinkleyville
    • Churchville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Hilton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Parma Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Parma Corners is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parma Corners
  • Niagara County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Gaines, with the one closest to West Gaines listed first.
    • County Line
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • County Line is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line
    • Millers
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Millers is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers
    • Middleport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Johnson Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Johnson Creek is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Creek
    • Barker
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Reynales Basin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Reynales Basin is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynales Basin
    • Somerset
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Somerset is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
    • Hartland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Hartland is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Gasport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • North Hartland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • North Hartland is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hartland
    • Dysinger
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Dysinger is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysinger
    • Hess Road
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Hess Road is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess Road
  • Wyoming County
    • Attica
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near West Gaines ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Gaines.

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 Gaines - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Long Bridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Oak Orchard Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Otter Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Oak Orchard Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Knowlesville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Kenyonville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Waterport Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bates Road Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Christian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Gaines Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Greenman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Daniels Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (258 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.<3>

While we didn't find West Gaines in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Gaines.

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

  • Oak Orchard
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Oak Orchard is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Orchard
  • Knowlesville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Eagle Harbor
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Harbor is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor
  • Kenyonville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Kenyonville is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenyonville
  • Knowlesville Station
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Knowlesville Station is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knowlesville Station
  • Eagle Harbor Station
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle Harbor Station is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor Station
  • Waterport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ridgeway
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Ridgeway is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeway
  • Gaines
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Gaines is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaines
  • Millville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Millville is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
  • Albion
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Kuckville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Kuckville is located in Orleans County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kuckville
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lyndonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Medina
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Carlton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Carlton is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton

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

Newspapers Published in West Gaines ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Gaines.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Gaines, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Gaines.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 West Gaines:

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 West Gaines, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- West Gaines) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.