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 Williamsville (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 Williamsville. 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.
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 southwest 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 south.
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 south 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.
Williamsville is located in Erie 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 Erie County: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara & Wyoming.
Below are the counties that are near Williamsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williamsville:
- Erie County (The home county of Williamsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Harris Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Harris Hill is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
- Bowmansville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Amherst
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Getzville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cheektowaga
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Depew
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Swormville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Swormville is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
- Lancaster
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Sloan
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sloan is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
- Clarence Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kenmore
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Tonawanda
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Blossom
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Blossom is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
- Genesee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Amherst
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Amherst is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
- Corfu
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Indian Falls
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
- Sawens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sawens is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
- Alabama
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Alabama is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
- Basom
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Griswold
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Griswold is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
- North Pembroke
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
- Wheatville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wheatville is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
- Alexander
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bushville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bushville is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushville
- Oakfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ridgewood Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ridgewood Village is located in Genesee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgewood Village
- Niagara County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Park Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Park Village is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
- Martinsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Martinsville is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
- Hoffman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hoffman is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
- North Tonawanda
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- North Tonawanda is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Tonawanda
- Population from the 2020 Census: 30,050 people
- Wurlitzer Park Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pendleton Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
- Raymond
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Raymond is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
- Rapids
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rapids is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapids
- Saint Johnsburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
- Bergholtz
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
- Lockport Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lockport Junction is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport Junction
- South Lockport
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- South Lockport is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Lockport
- Black Creek Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
- Orleans County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Jeddo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jeddo is located in Orleans County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Lakewood Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
- Medina
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Barre
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Barre is located in Orleans County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Barre
- Lyndonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Folsomdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
- Harris Corners
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
- Attica
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Java Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Varysburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Johnsonburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Johnsonburg is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Curriers
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Curriers is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
- Java Center
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- North Java
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Williamsville, see our County-by-County Page for Williamsville.
Cemeteries Near Williamsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamsville.
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 Williamsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williamsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- War of 1812 Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Transit Rural Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Stanislaus RC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Stanislaus RC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Stanislaus RC Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Cheektowaga.
- The St. Stanislaus RC Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Stanislaus Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #66205 <2>
- St. Johns Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ridge Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Lawn Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ridge Lawn Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Cheektowaga.
- The Ridge Lawn Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ridgelawn Gardens
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #65791 <2>
- Holy Rest Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- United German & French RC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for United German & French RC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the United German & French RC Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Cheektowaga.
- The United German & French RC Cemetery has also been known as:
- United Catholic Cemetery
- United German & French Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1966051 <2>
- Buffalo Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (367 more) ...
- Harris Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Skinnersville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
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 Williamsville had a population of 1,366 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Williamsville had a population of 5,171 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Snyder
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Snyder is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snyder
- Bowmansville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Harris Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Harris Hill is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Hill
- Eggertsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Cheektowaga
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Forks
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Forks is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forks
- Getzville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- East Amherst
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- East Amherst is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Amherst
- Sloan
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sloan is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
- Lancaster
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Swormville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Swormville is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swormville
- Doyle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Doyle is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- East Lancaster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- East Lancaster is located in Erie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lancaster
- Clarence Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kenmore
(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 Williamsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williamsville.
Newspapers Published in Williamsville ...
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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamsville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williamsville, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williamsville.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Williamsville:
- Websites specific to New York
- Pages specific to Erie County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Genesee County
- Niagara County
- Orleans County
- Wyoming 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 Williamsville, 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' (or 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- Williamsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |