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 Ghent (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 Ghent. 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 Ghent ...
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 Ghent: W. Ghent
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Ghent. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Ghent.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
West Ghent 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 Ghent. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Ghent:
- Columbia County (The home county of West Ghent)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Stottville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rossman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Rossman is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossman
- Ghent
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mellenville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kinderhook
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Philmont
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lorenz Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lorenz Park is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorenz Park
- Moorhouse Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Moorhouse Corner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorhouse Corner
- Chatham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Harlemville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harlemville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlemville
- Greenport Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Greenport Center is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenport Center
- Hudson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Albany County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Coeymans
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Aquetuck
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Aquetuck is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquetuck
- Ravena
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Coeymans Hollow
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Selkirk
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Alcove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Beckers Corners
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Beckers Corners is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckers Corners
- South Bethlehem
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- South Bethlehem is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bethlehem
- South Westerlo
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- South Westerlo is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Westerlo
- Dormansville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dormansville is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dormansville
- Bethlehem Center
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Bethlehem Center is located in Albany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem Center
- Feura Bush
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dutchess County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Jackson Corners
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Jackson Corners is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Corners
- Tivoli
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Ross
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Mount Ross is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ross
- Upper Red Hook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Upper Red Hook is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Red Hook
- Cruger Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cruger Village is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruger Village
- Pine Plains
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Red Hook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Rock City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Rock City is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Bethel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Irondale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Irondale is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
- Milan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Milan is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
- Spencer Corners
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Spencer Corners is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Corners
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Coxsackie
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Athens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Heights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Heights is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Heights
- Medway
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Medway is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medway
- Catskill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Catskill is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catskill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,815 people
- Leeds
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gayhead
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Gayhead is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayhead
- South Cairo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- South Cairo is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Cairo
- Surprise
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Cairo Junction
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cairo Junction is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cairo Junction
- Kiskatom
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kiskatom is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiskatom
- Cairo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Rensselaer County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Schodack Landing
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Nassau
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Castleton-on-Hudson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Brainard
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Schodack Center
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Schodack Center is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schodack Center
- East Schodack
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- East Nassau
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- East Nassau is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Nassau
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- East Greenbush
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Luther
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Luther is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
- Hoag Corners
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hoag Corners is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoag Corners
- Best
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Best is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Best
- Couse
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Couse is located in Rensselaer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Couse
- Schoharie County
- Bates
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bates is located in Schoharie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bates
- Ulster County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Malden
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Malden is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malden
- Malden has also been known as:
- Malden-on-Hudson
- Quarryville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Quarryville is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quarryville
- Saugerties
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Glasco
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Marion Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Marion Park is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Marion Park
- Mount Marion
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- High Woods
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- High Woods is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Woods
- Daisy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Daisy is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
- Ruby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Katrine
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Kingston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- East Kingston is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Kingston
- Sawkill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sawkill is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawkill
- Litchfield County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Taconic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Twin Lakes
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Twin Lakes is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
- Canaan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lakeville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- North Canaan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- North Canaan is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Canaan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,235 people
- Ore Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ore Hill is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ore Hill
- Salisbury
(27 miles [43.5 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
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wangum Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wangum Village is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wangum Village
- Clayton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clayton is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Amesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Amesville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amesville
- East Canaan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Berkshire County (MA)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Alford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Alford is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
- North Egremont
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- North Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Egremont
- Rockdale Mills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Rockdale Mills is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale Mills
- Housatonic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Housatonic is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Housatonic
- Richmond
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Richmond is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,410 people
- West Stockbridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- West Stockbridge is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Stockbridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
- Egremont Plain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Egremont Plain is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egremont Plain
- Egremont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egremont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,202 people
- Glendale
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Glendale is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendale
- Van Deusenville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Van Deusenville is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Van Deusenville
- South Egremont
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- South Egremont is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Egremont
- Great Barrington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Great Barrington is located in Berkshire County (MA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Barrington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,976 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Ghent, see our County-by-County Page for West Ghent.
Cemeteries Near West Ghent ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Ghent.
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 Ghent - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Ghent covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- West Ghent Reformed Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- German Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ghent Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Snyder Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shufelt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Stuyvesant Falls Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Paul Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Columbia County Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. James Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Reed Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lampman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (362 more) ...
- Swartwout Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kinderhook Reformed Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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 Ghent in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Ghent.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Ghent, with the one closest to West Ghent listed first.
- Stottville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stuyvesant Falls
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rossman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Rossman is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossman
- Columbiaville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Pulvers
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pulvers is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulvers
- Mellenville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sunnyside
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Sunnyside is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
- Ghent
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Philmont
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Coxsackie
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Athens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hudson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Greenport Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Greenport Center is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenport Center
- Claverack
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Ghent. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Ghent.
Newspapers Published in West Ghent ...
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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Ghent.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Ghent, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Ghent.
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 West Ghent:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albany County
- Dutchess County
- Greene County
- Rensselaer County
- Schoharie County
- Ulster County
- Litchfield County
- Berkshire 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 West Ghent, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- West Ghent) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |