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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 Portland (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 Portland. 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 Portland ...

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 Portland: W. Portland

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 Portland is located in Chautauqua County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Chautauqua County: Cattaraugus, Erie, Erie (PA) & Warren (PA).

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

  • Chautauqua County     (The home county of West Portland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Portland, with the one closest to West Portland listed first.
    • Bournes Beach
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bournes Beach
      • Bournes Beach is located in Chautauqua County
    • Portland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Westfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
      • Westfield is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,962 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westfield <1>
    • Brocton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brocton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brocton
      • Brocton is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,382 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brocton <1>
    • Mayville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayville
      • Mayville is located in Chautauqua County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,565 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayville <1>
    • Hartfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartfield
      • Hartfield is located in Chautauqua County
    • Wooglin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooglin
      • Wooglin is located in Chautauqua County
    • Forsyth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forsyth
      • Forsyth is located in Chautauqua County
    • Cassadaga
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Fredonia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Maple Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
      • Maple Springs is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maple Springs <1>
    • Ripley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Portland, with the one closest to West Portland listed first.
    • South Dayton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Conewango
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conewango
      • Conewango is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Perrysburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrysburg
      • Perrysburg is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Estimated population in 2012: 394 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perrysburg <1>
    • Axeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axeville
      • Axeville is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Persia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Persia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
      • Persia is located in Cattaraugus County
    • Gowanda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowanda
      • Gowanda is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowanda <1>
    • Randolph
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Erie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Portland, with the one closest to West Portland listed first.
    • Farnham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farnham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
      • Farnham is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 372 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farnham <1>
    • Lake Erie Beach
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Erie Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Erie Beach
      • Lake Erie Beach is located in Erie County
    • Brant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Erie County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Portland, with the one closest to West Portland listed first.
    • Freeport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Erie County (PA)
    • North East
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North East have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North East
      • North East is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,013 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North East <1>
    • Hornby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hornby have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hornby
      • Hornby is located in Erie County (PA)
    • Phillipsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsville
      • Phillipsville is located in Erie County (PA)
    • Wattsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wattsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsburg
      • Wattsburg is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wattsburg <1>
    • Lawrence Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawrence Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrence Park
      • Lawrence Park is located in Erie County (PA)
    • Wesleyville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wesleyville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesleyville
      • Wesleyville is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,093 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wesleyville <1>
    • Corry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corry
      • Corry is located in Erie County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Corry <1>
  • Warren County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Portland, with the one closest to West Portland listed first.
    • Bear Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Sugar Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
      • Sugar Grove is located in Warren County (PA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sugar Grove <1>
    • Columbus
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Colza
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colza have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colza
      • Colza is located in Warren County (PA)

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

Newspapers Published in West Portland ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Portland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Portland, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Portland.

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 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 Portland:

Cemeteries Near West Portland ...

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

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 Portland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
  • St. James Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Westfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westfield Cemetery
  • Old St. James Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old St. James Cemetery
  • Pecor Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pecor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pecor Cemetery
  • Mayville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Kelley Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kelley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kelley Cemetery
  • Dewittville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dewittville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dewittville Cemetery
  • Pleasantville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasantville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasantville Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Stockton Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stockton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stockton Cemetery
  • Continue List   (146 more) ...
    • Bachelor Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bachelor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bachelor Cemetery
    • East Ripley Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the East Ripley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the East Ripley Cemetery
    • Porter Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Cemetery

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 Portland in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Portland.

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

  • Westfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
    • Westfield is located in Chautauqua County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,962 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westfield <1>
  • Portland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Brocton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brocton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brocton
    • Brocton is located in Chautauqua County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,382 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brocton <1>
  • Mayville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayville
    • Mayville is located in Chautauqua County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,565 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayville <1>
  • Hartfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartfield
    • Hartfield is located in Chautauqua County
  • Wooglin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooglin
    • Wooglin is located in Chautauqua County
  • Dewittville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dewittville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewittville
    • Dewittville is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dewittville <1>
  • Stockton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
    • Stockton is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <1>
  • Lombard
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lombard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lombard
    • Lombard is located in Chautauqua County
  • Summerdale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerdale
    • Summerdale is located in Chautauqua County
  • Chautauqua
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chautauqua have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chautauqua
    • Chautauqua is located in Chautauqua County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chautauqua <1>
  • Centralia
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Centralia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
    • Centralia is located in Chautauqua County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Burnhams
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnhams have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnhams
      • Burnhams is located in Chautauqua County
    • Cassadaga
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Lily Dale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lily Dale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily Dale
      • Lily Dale is located in Chautauqua County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lily Dale <1>

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

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

The official website for Chautauqua County: www.co.chautauqua.ny.us/

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

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Portland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Portland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3523, Longitude: -79.5214       In this case, the coordinates for West Portland have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Portland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024