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 North Star (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 North Star. 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 North Star ...
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 North Star: N. Star
You might be interested in other communities that are also named North Star. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for North Star.
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 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.
North Star is located in Darke 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 Darke County: Jay (IN), Randolph (IN), Wayne (IN), Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Preble & Shelby.
Below are the counties that are near North Star. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to North Star:
- Darke County (The home county of North Star)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Osgood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Yorkshire
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Brock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Brock is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brock
- Rossburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- New Weston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Frenchtown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Frenchtown is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
- Dawn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Dawn is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawn
- Versailles
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ansonia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ansonia is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,120 people
- Lightsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lightsville is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lightsville
- Pikeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Pikeville is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeville
- Stelvideo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Stelvideo is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stelvideo
- Coletown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coletown is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coletown
- Allen County
- Spencerville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Auglaize County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Minster
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Bremen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- New Knoxville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- New Knoxville is located in Auglaize County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Knoxville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 862 people
- Saint Marys
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Moulton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Moulton is located in Auglaize County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moulton
- Pusheta Town ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pusheta Town is located in Auglaize County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pusheta Town
- Fryburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fryburg is located in Auglaize County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fryburg
- Buckland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buckland is located in Auglaize County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
- Wapakoneta
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Johns
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Johns is located in Auglaize County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Burkettsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Henry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Chickasaw
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Wendelin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Wendelin is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendelin
- Coldwater
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Montezuma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Montezuma is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
- Fort Recovery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Macedon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Macedon is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedon
- Celina
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Wabash
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Wabash is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabash
- Earley ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Earley is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earley
- Scudder
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Scudder is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scudder
- Skeels Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Skeels Crossroads is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skeels Crossroads
- Miami County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Bloomer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bloomer is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomer
- Polo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Polo is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polo
- Bradford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Covington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- West Covington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- West Covington is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Covington
- Piqua
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Laura
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Ludlow Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ludlow Falls is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Potsdam
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Potsdam is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 295 people
- Troy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fletcher
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fletcher is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
- West Milton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Montgomery County
- Phillipsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Phillipsburg is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 550 people
- Preble County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Eldorado
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Eldorado is located in Preble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
- Population from the 2020 Census: 490 people
- Verona
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- West Manchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Fort Laramie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Russia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Filburns Island
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Filburns Island is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filburns Island
- Dawson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Dawson is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Lehmkuhl Landing
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Lehmkuhl Landing is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehmkuhl Landing
- Hardin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hardin is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
- Kettlersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Lockington
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lockington is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Anna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Sidney
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Botkins
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pasco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pasco is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasco
- Port Jefferson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Van Wert County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Monticello
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Monticello is located in Van Wert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello
- Converse Station
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Converse Station is located in Van Wert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse Station
- Elgin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Elgin is located in Van Wert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Abanaka
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Abanaka is located in Van Wert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abanaka
- Converse
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Converse is located in Van Wert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Converse
- Ohio City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Schumm
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Schumm is located in Van Wert County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schumm
- Adams County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Geneva
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Berne
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jay County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Salamonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Salamonia is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salamonia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
- Boundary City
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Boundary City is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boundary City
- Trinity
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Trinity is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Bluff Point
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bluff Point is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff Point
- Jay City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jay City is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jay City
- Collett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Collett is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collett
- Portland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Antiville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Antiville is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antiville
- Bloomfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bloomfield is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Bryant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Blaine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Blaine is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
- Greene
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Greene is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greene
- Pony
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Pony is located in Jay County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pony
- Randolph County (IN)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Union City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Haysville Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Haysville Corner is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysville Corner
- New Pittsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- New Pittsburg is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Pittsburg
- Saratoga
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Spartanburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Spartanburg is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spartanburg
- Winchester
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ridgeville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Ridgeville is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 734 people
- Stone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Stone is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone
- Rural
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rural is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural
- Arba
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Arba is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arba
- Snow Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Snow Hill is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Lynn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lynn is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,006 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lynn <1>
- Bloomingport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomingport is located in Randolph County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingport
- Wayne County (IN)
- Whitewater
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whitewater is located in Wayne County (IN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitewater
- Population from the 2020 Census: 70 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to North Star, see our County-by-County Page for North Star.
Cemeteries Near North Star ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Star.
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 North Star - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for North Star covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- St. Paul Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- St. Louis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Teacup Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Shook Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Holsapple Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Brock Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mendenhall Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Scheidler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Brock Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Speelman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Martins Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (439 more) ...
- St. Bernard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Francis Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hoschover Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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 North Star had a population of 105 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, North Star had a population of 214 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from North Star, with the one closest to North Star listed first.
- Delvin ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Delvin is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delvin
- Yorkshire
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Osgood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Brock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Brock is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brock
- Strakers ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Strakers is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strakers
- Steinman ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Steinman is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steinman
- Burkettsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- New Weston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cranberry Prairie
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Cranberry Prairie is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Prairie
- Cassella
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Cassella is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassella
- Willowdell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Willowdell is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowdell
- Saint Rosa
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Rosa is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Rosa
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Dawn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Dawn is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawn
- Saint Henry
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Maria Stein
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around North Star. See our List of 1890's Communities around North Star.
Newspapers Published in North Star ...
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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Star.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of North Star, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for North Star.
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 North Star:
- Websites specific to Ohio
- Pages specific to Darke County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allen County
- Auglaize County
- Mercer County
- Miami County
- Montgomery County
- Preble County
- Shelby County
- Van Wert County
- Adams County
- Jay County
- Randolph County
- Wayne 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 North Star, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- North Star) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |