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 Nelson (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 Nelson. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Nelson is located in Portage County.
To see how the shape of Ohio's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Portage County: Cuyahoga, Geauga, Stark, Summit & Trumbull.
Below are the counties that are near Nelson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Nelson:
- Portage County (The home county of Nelson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Garrettsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mahoning
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mahoning is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahoning
- Hiram
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Windham
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Drakesburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Drakesburg is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drakesburg
- Mantua
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wayland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wayland is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
- Evergreen Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen Village is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
- Augerburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Augerburg is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augerburg
- Diamond
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Diamond is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond
- Palmyra
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Palmyra is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Campbellsport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Campbellsport is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbellsport
- Ashtabula County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Orwell
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Hartsgrove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hartsgrove is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsgrove
- Colebrook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Colebrook is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Rome
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rome is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Dodgeville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Dodgeville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodgeville
- New Lyme
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- New Lyme is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lyme
- East Trumbull
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- East Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trumbull
- Trumbull
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trumbull
- Roaming Shores
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Roaming Shores is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaming Shores
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,443 people
- Rock Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Stanhope
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Stanhope is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
- Wick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wick is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wick
- Columbiana County
- Salem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cuyahoga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Chagrin Falls
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bentleyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bentleyville is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentleyville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 841 people
- Moreland Hills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Glenwillow
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Glenwillow is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwillow
- Population from the 2020 Census: 917 people
- Solon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hunting Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hunting Valley is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 717 people
- Gates Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Applecreek Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Applecreek Village is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Applecreek Village
- North Solon
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- North Solon is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Solon
- Oakwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Oakwood is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,598 people
- Orange
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bedford Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Franklin County
- Hilltop
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hilltop is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
- Geauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Parkman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Welshfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Welshfield is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welshfield
- Middlefield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Auburn Corners
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Auburn Corners is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn Corners
- Burton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- East Claridon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- East Claridon is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Claridon
- Huntsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Huntsburg is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,641 people
- Bainbridge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- South Russell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- South Russell is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Russell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
- Yates Corners
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Yates Corners is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Corners
- Aquilla
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Aquilla is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Chardon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Kirtland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pecks Corners
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pecks Corners is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pecks Corners
- Kirtland Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kirtland Hills is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtland Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
- Waite Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waite Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waite Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 452 people
- Willoughby Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Brentwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Brentwood is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
- Oak Hill Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Hill Village is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Village
- Reynolds
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Reynolds is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds
- Wickliffe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Willoughby
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Painesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mentor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mahoning County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Craig Beach
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Craig Beach is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craig Beach
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,110 people
- North Jackson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mineral Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- West Austintown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- West Austintown is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Austintown
- Austintown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ellsworth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ellsworth is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
- Perkins Corners
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Perkins Corners is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins Corners
- Patmos
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Patmos is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patmos
- Canfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cornersburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cornersburg is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornersburg
- Hickory Corners
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory Corners is located in Mahoning County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Corners
- Youngstown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Stark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Limaville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Limaville is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limaville
- Estimated population in 2019: 144 people
- New Baltimore
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- New Baltimore is located in Stark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Baltimore
- Alliance
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hartville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Uniontown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Summit County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Reminderville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Reminderville is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reminderville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,643 people
- Hudson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Twinsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Hudson Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hudson Village is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson Village
- Munroe Falls
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Stow
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bosworth ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bosworth is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosworth
- Silver Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Lake is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,484 people
- Boston Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Boston Heights is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,312 people
- Macedonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Tallmadge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Northfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Trumbull County
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Phalanx
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Phalanx is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phalanx
- Delightful
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Delightful is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delightful
- West Farmington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Farmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Farmington is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Wassie ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Wassie is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wassie
- South Canal
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- South Canal is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Canal
- Newton Falls
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bristolville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Leavittsburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mesopotamia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Austin Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Austin Village is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Village
- Lordstown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lordstown is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lordstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,244 people
- Mercer County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Clark
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Grove City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Farrell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sharon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wheatland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sharpsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Nelson, see our County-by-County Page for Nelson.
Cemeteries Near Nelson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Nelson.
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 Nelson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Nelson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Tinker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Park Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Park Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Garrettsville.
- The Park Cemetery has also been known as:
- Garrettsville Park Cemetery
- Harrington Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Keiper - Tuller Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Kennedy Ledge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Abbot Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Anchor - Moore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Overlook Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Windham Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Baptist Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Old Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Southington Center Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (450 more) ...
- Mumford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Drakesburg Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Nelson had a population of 97 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Nelson, with the one closest to Nelson listed first.
- Garrettsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mahoning
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mahoning is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahoning
- Southington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hiram
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Parkman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Windham
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Phalanx
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Phalanx is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phalanx
- Delightful
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Delightful is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delightful
- West Farmington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Freedom
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Freedom is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom
- Braceville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Braceville is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braceville
- State Road
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- State Road is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Road
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Farmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Farmington is located in Trumbull County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmington
- Bundysburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Bundysburg is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundysburg
- Welshfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Welshfield is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welshfield
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Nelson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Nelson.
Newspapers Published in Nelson ...
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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Nelson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Nelson, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Nelson.
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 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 Nelson:
- Websites specific to Ohio
- Pages specific to Portage County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ashtabula County
- Columbiana County
- Cuyahoga County
- Franklin County
- Geauga County
- Lake County
- Mahoning County
- Stark County
- Summit County
- Trumbull County
- Mercer County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Ohio
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> | 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 Nelson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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- Nelson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |