RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of New York >> Otsego County >> West Laurens >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Laurens (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 Laurens. 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 Laurens ...

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 West Laurens: W. Laurens

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 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 Laurens is located in Otsego 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 Otsego County: Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery & Schoharie.

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

  • Otsego County     (The home county of West Laurens)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • Morris
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Laurens
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • West Oneonta
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • West Oneonta is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oneonta
    • West End
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • West End is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West End
    • Welcome
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Welcome is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
    • Mount Vision
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lena
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lena is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
    • Oneonta
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Garrattsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Gilbertsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Pittsfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pittsfield is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield
    • Otego
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Youmans Corner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Youmans Corner is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youmans Corner
  • Chenango County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • New Berlin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Lathams Corners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lathams Corners is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lathams Corners
    • Mount Upton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Columbus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Columbus is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbus
    • Button City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Button City is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Button City
    • East Guilford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • East Guilford is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Guilford
    • Norwich
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Guilford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Sherburne
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Haynes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Haynes is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haynes
    • North Norwich
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • North Norwich is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Norwich
    • Yaleville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Yaleville is located in Chenango County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yaleville
    • Bainbridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Delaware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • North Franklin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • North Franklin is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Franklin
    • Franklin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Davenport Center
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Shackport
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Shackport is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shackport
    • Merrickville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Merrickville is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrickville
    • Sidney Center
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Simpsonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Simpsonville is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsonville
    • Mundale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Mundale is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mundale
    • Sidney
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Tacoma
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Tacoma is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacoma
    • Delhi
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Delhi is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,871 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delhi <1>
    • North Kortright
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • North Kortright is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kortright
    • Masonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Herkimer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • West Winfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Chepachet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Chepachet is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chepachet
    • South Columbia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • South Columbia is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Columbia
    • Cullen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Cullen is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullen
    • Cedarville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cedarville is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
    • Millers Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Millers Mills is located in Herkimer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Mills
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • Brookfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • South Hamilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Hamilton is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hamilton
    • Earlville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • East Hamilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • East Hamilton is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hamilton
    • Hamilton Center
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hamilton Center is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton Center
    • Hamilton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Randallsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Randallsville is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randallsville
    • Madison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pecksport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pecksport is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecksport
  • Oneida County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • Bridgewater
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Stockwell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Stockwell is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockwell
    • North Bridgewater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • North Bridgewater is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bridgewater
    • Pine Village Estates
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Pine Village Estates is located in Oneida County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village Estates
    • Sangerfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Cassville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Waterville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Clayville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Schoharie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Laurens, with the one closest to West Laurens listed first.
    • Jefferson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Summit
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Summit is located in Schoharie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,081 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summit <1>
    • South Jefferson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • South Jefferson is located in Schoharie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Jefferson

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

Cemeteries Near West Laurens ...

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

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

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

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

  • Bennett Weatherly Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Hathaway Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Butts Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Cook Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Old Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Otsdawa Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Chapin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Elm Row Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Laurens Village Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Lull Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (395 more) ...
    • Hillington Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Quaker Burying Ground
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Smith Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Laurens had a population of 256 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Otsdawa
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Otsdawa is located in Otsego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otsdawa
  • Morris
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Maple Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Maple Grove is located in Otsego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
  • West Oneonta
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • West Oneonta is located in Otsego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Oneonta
  • Laurens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • New Lisbon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • New Lisbon is located in Otsego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lisbon
  • Mount Vision
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Welcome
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Welcome is located in Otsego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
  • Oneonta
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lena
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lena is located in Otsego County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
  • Garrattsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Gilbertsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • South Hartwick
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • South Hartwick is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hartwick
    • Otego
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Pittsfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pittsfield is located in Otsego County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsfield

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

Newspapers Published in West Laurens ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Laurens.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Laurens, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Laurens.

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 Laurens:

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 Laurens, 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 Laurens) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.