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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 Hills (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 Hills. 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 Hills ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Hills: W. Hills

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 and hospitals 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.

West Hills is located in Suffolk County.

To see how the shape of New York's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

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

  • Suffolk County     (The home county of West Hills)
  • Bronx County
  • Kings County
  • Nassau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Woodbury
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Laurel Hollow
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Hollow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hollow
      • Laurel Hollow is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,027 people
    • Old Bethpage
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Bethpage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Bethpage
      • Old Bethpage is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Old Bethpage <2>
    • Plainview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Plainview is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plainview <2>
    • Syosset
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Syosset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syosset
      • Syosset is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Syosset <2>
    • Oyster Bay Cove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oyster Bay Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oyster Bay Cove
      • Oyster Bay Cove is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,243 people
    • Swedetown Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swedetown Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swedetown Village
      • Swedetown Village is located in Nassau County
    • Cove Neck
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cove Neck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Neck
      • Cove Neck is located in Nassau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
    • Farmingdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Bethpage
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hicksville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hicksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
      • Hicksville is located in Nassau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hicksville <2>
    • East Norwich
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Norwich have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Norwich
      • East Norwich is located in Nassau County
    • Jericho
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • New York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Inwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Delano Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Delano Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delano Village
      • Delano Village is located in New York County
    • Harlem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Washington Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Morningside Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Park West Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park West Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park West Village
      • Park West Village is located in New York County
    • Seneca Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seneca Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca Village
      • Seneca Village is located in New York County
    • Yorkville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Manhattan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • East Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
      • East Village is located in New York County
    • Hell's Kitchen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Peter Cooper Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peter Cooper Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peter Cooper Village
      • Peter Cooper Village is located in New York County
    • Stuyvesant Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stuyvesant Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuyvesant Town
      • Stuyvesant Town is located in New York County
  • Queens County
  • Rockland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Palisades
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Piermont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piermont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piermont
      • Piermont is located in Rockland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,527 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piermont <2>
    • Grand View-on-Hudson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • South Nyack
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Nyack have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Nyack
      • South Nyack is located in Rockland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,305 people
    • Tappan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tappan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tappan
      • Tappan is located in Rockland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tappan <2>
  • Westchester County
  • Fairfield County (CT)
  • Bergen County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Englewood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Fort Lee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
      • Fort Lee is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fort Lee
      • From West Hills to Fort Lee
    • Linwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Linwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
      • Linwood is located in Bergen County (NJ)
    • Saint Josephs Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Josephs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Josephs Village
      • Saint Josephs Village is located in Bergen County (NJ)
    • West Norwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridgefield Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgefield Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield Park
      • Ridgefield Park is located in Bergen County (NJ)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,837 people
    • Teaneck
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • West Englewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hudson County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Hills, with the one closest to West Hills listed first.
    • Guttenberg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • North Bergen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Union City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Weehawken
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weehawken have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weehawken
      • Weehawken is located in Hudson County (NJ)
    • West New York
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West New York have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West New York
      • West New York is located in Hudson County (NJ)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 53,132 people

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

Cemeteries Near West Hills ...

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

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • West Hills Methodist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the West Hills Methodist Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the West Hills Methodist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Melville Rural Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Melville Rural Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Melville Rural Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Golda Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Golda Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Golda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lower Melville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Melville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Melville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Huntington Rural Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Huntington Rural Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Huntington Rural Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Old Burial Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Burial Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Burial Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Memorial Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Long Island National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Carll Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carll Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carll Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • AME Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the AME Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the AME Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Quaker Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Quaker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Quaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (398 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.<5>

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

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

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

Newspapers Published in West Hills ...

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 157 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Hills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Hills, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Hills.

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 Hills:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Hills. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Suffolk County: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/

The official website for State of New York: https://www.ny.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Hills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- West Hills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Hills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.8163, Longitude: -73.4334    









 

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In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025