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 Point (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 Point. 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 Point ...
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 Point: W. Point
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Point. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Point.
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 and hospitals 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 Point is located in Orange 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 Orange County: Passaic (NJ), Sussex (NJ), Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster & Pike (PA).
Below are the counties that are near West Point. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Point:
- Orange County (The home county of West Point)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Highland Falls
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Cornwall Landing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
- Cornwall-on-Hudson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Montgomery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Firthcliffe
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Firthcliffe is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Firthcliffe
- Orrs Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Orrs Mill is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Mill
- New Windsor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Vails Gate
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Cornwall
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Cornwall is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cornwall
- Mountainville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Woodbury
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Woodbury is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,058 people
- Newburgh
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Salisbury Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Dutchess County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Beacon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Beacon Hills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Beacon Hills is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beacon Hills
- Groveville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Groveville is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveville
- Glenham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Fishkill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Brinckerhoff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Brinckerhoff is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinckerhoff
- Wiccopee
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wiccopee is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiccopee
- Shenandoah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shenandoah is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
- Hughsonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- East Fishkill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- East Fishkill is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fishkill
- Wappingers Falls
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Myers Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Myers Corner is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myers Corner
- Hopewell Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Greene County
- Cornwall-on-Hudson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cornwall-on-Hudson is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall-on-Hudson
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Cold Spring
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Glenclyffe
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Glenclyffe is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenclyffe
- Garrison
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Nelsonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Nelsonville is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Continental Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continental Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Continental Village
- Putnam Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Adams Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Adams Corners is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corners
- Tompkins Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Tompkins Corners is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tompkins Corners
- Mahopac Mines
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mahopac Mines is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahopac Mines
- Mahopac
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Crafts
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Crafts is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crafts
- Farmers Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Farmers Mills is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers Mills
- Lake Carmel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Lake Carmel is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Carmel
- Rockland County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Doodletown ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Doodletown is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doodletown
- Stony Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Thiells
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- West Haverstraw
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- West Haverstraw is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Haverstraw
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,167 people
- Haverstraw
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mount Ivy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Ivy is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Ivy
- Pomona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Congers
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- New City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- New City is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
- New City Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- New City Park is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City Park
- New Hempstead
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- New Hempstead is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hempstead
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,456 people
- New Square
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- New Square is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Square
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,014 people
- Wesley Hills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Wesley Hills is located in Rockland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,919 people
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Bloomingburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Summitville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wurtsboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ulster County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Marlboro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Plattekill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Milton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Sylva
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Sylva is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
- Wallkill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- New Hurley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Hurley is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hurley
- Ardonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ardonia is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardonia
- Oakes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Oakes is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakes
- Modena
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Clintondale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Highland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Gardiner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bruynswick
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bruynswick is located in Ulster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruynswick
- Westchester County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Peekskill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Lake Mohegan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Mohegan is located in Westchester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Mohegan
- Buchanan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Crompond
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Shrub Oak
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Montrose
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Verplanck
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jefferson Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jefferson Village is located in Westchester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
- Yorktown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Yorktown is located in Westchester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
- Crugers
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Woodybrook
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Woodybrook is located in Westchester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodybrook
- Granite Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shenorock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Fairfield County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Ball Pond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ball Pond is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ball Pond
- Banksville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Banksville is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banksville
- New Fairfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- New Fairfield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Fairfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,792 people
- New Fairfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ridgefield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ridgefield is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgefield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,898 people
- Ridgefield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Danbury
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Danbury is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danbury
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84,317 people
- High Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- High Ridge is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Ridge
- Danbury
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Sherman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sherman is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,610 people
- Sherman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- North Stamford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- North Stamford is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Stamford
- Riverbank
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Riverbank is located in Fairfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverbank
- Litchfield County (CT)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Candlewood Lake Club
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Candlewood Lake Club is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candlewood Lake Club
- Chimney Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Chimney Point is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimney Point
- Lanesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lanesville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
- New Milford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Milford is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Milford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,683 people
- Bulls Bridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bulls Bridge is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulls Bridge
- Gaylordsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Merwinsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Merwinsville is located in Litchfield County (CT)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merwinsville
- Bergen County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Mahwah
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mahwah is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahwah
- Park Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Park Ridge is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Ridge
- Saint Josephs Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Saint Josephs Village is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Josephs Village
- West Norwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- West Norwood is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Norwood
- River Vale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- River Vale is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Vale
- Ackermans Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ackermans Mills is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackermans Mills
- Ho-Ho-Kus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ho-Ho-Kus is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ho-Ho-Kus
- Wortendyke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Wortendyke is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wortendyke
- Campgaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Campgaw is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campgaw
- Wyckoff
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wyckoff is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyckoff
- Ridgewood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Ridgewood is located in Bergen County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24,915 people
- Passaic County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- West Milford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Milford is located in Passaic County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Haskell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Haskell is located in Passaic County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskell
- Sussex County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Highland Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Highland Lake is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Lake
- Vernon Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Vernon Valley is located in Sussex County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon Valley
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Point, see our County-by-County Page for West Point.
Cemeteries Near West Point ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Point.
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 Point - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Point covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- West Point Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Peacedale Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Cold Spring Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Nelsonville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Old Cold Spring Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Union Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Graymoor Society of the Atonement Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Edwards Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Willow Dell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hebrew Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (376 more) ...
- June Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hillside Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Assumption Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Point had a population of 1,164 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Point, with the one closest to West Point listed first.
- Highland Falls
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Garrison
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cold Spring
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Nelsonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Nelsonville is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 632 people
- Fort Montgomery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cornwall Landing
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cornwall Landing is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Landing
- Cornwall-on-Hudson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dutchess Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Dutchess Junction is located in Dutchess County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchess Junction
- Putnam Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Orrs Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Orrs Mill is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrs Mill
- Adams Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Adams Corners is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Corners
- New Windsor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Vails Gate
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Cornwall
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Cornwall is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Cornwall
- Mountainville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Point. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Point.
Newspapers Published in West Point ...
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 96 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Point.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Point, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Point.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Point:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Orange County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dutchess County
- Greene County
- Putnam County
- Rockland County
- Sullivan County
- Ulster County
- Westchester County
- Fairfield County
- Litchfield County
- Bergen County
- Passaic County
- Sussex 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 Point, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Point) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |