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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 Winchester (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 Winchester. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Winchester 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 Winchester. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Winchester:

  • Erie County     (The home county of Winchester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Sloan
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Sloan is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
    • Ebenezer
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ebenezer is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
    • West Seneca
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Cheektowaga
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lackawanna
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Blossom
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Blossom is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
    • Buffalo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Depew
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Blasdell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Lancaster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Brook
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bay View
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bay View is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
  • Cattaraugus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Gowanda
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Gowanda is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowanda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,524 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gowanda <1>
    • Yorkshire
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Yorkshire is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkshire
    • Brooklyn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Brooklyn is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Perrysburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Delevan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Delevan is located in Cattaraugus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delevan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,039 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delevan <1>
  • Chautauqua County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Irving
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Silver Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Genesee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Amherst
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Amherst is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amherst
    • Corfu
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Griswold
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Griswold is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswold
    • Sawens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Sawens is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawens
    • Indian Falls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Indian Falls is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Falls
    • Basom
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Alabama
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Alabama is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alabama
    • North Pembroke
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • North Pembroke is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Pembroke
    • Alexander
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Wheatville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wheatville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatville
    • Bushville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Bushville is located in Genesee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushville
    • Ridgewood Village
      (28 miles [45.1 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 Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Park Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Park Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Village
    • Martinsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Martinsville is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsville
    • North Tonawanda
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • 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
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Hoffman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Hoffman is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman
    • Pendleton Center
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Pendleton Center is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton Center
    • Saint Johnsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Saint Johnsburg is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johnsburg
    • Bergholtz
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Bergholtz is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergholtz
    • Raymond
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Raymond is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond
    • Rapids
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Rapids is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapids
    • Black Creek Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Black Creek Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek Village
    • Colonial Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Niagara County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
  • Orleans County
    • Lakewood Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakewood Village is located in Orleans County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood Village
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Winchester, with the one closest to Winchester listed first.
    • Folsomdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Folsomdale is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsomdale
    • Harris Corners
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Harris Corners is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Corners
    • Java Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Attica
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Johnsonburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Johnsonburg is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
    • Varysburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Curriers
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Curriers is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curriers
    • Java Center
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • North Java
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Arcade
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Winchester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Winchester.

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

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

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

  • St. Matthews Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • St. Adalbert's Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Buffalo Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Concordia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Holy Rest Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Ridge Lawn Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (350 more) ...
    • United German & French RC Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • 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>
    • Angle Road Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Holy Sepulchre 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 in 1895, Winchester had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Gardenville
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Gardenville is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
  • Doyle
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Doyle is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyle
  • Sloan
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Sloan is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sloan
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,522 people
  • Ebenezer
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ebenezer is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer
  • West Seneca
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Cheektowaga
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Forks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Forks is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forks
  • East Seneca
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • East Seneca is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Seneca
  • Blossom
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Blossom is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
  • Buffalo
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Blasdell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Windom
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Windom is located in Erie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Spring Brook Station
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Bay View
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bay View is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay View
    • Big Tree
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Big Tree is located in Erie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Tree

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

Newspapers Published in Winchester ...

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 339 newspapers that have been published in the area around Winchester.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Winchester, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Winchester.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Winchester:

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