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 Vandalia (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 Vandalia. 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 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 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.
Vandalia is located in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County: Butler, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Preble & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Vandalia. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vandalia:
- Montgomery County (The home county of Vandalia)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Tadmor ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tadmor is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tadmor
- Huber Heights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Northridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Northridge is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northridge
- Shiloh
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Shiloh is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Hooks Corner
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hooks Corner is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooks Corner
- Northview
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Northview is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northview
- Sulphur Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Sulphur Grove is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Grove
- Englewood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Union
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Deerpark Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Deerpark Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerpark Village
- Fort McKinley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fort McKinley is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McKinley
- Clayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Riverdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Riverdale is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverdale
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Poast Town Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Poast Town Heights is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poast Town Heights
- Poast Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Poast Town is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poast Town
- Astoria
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Astoria is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astoria
- Middletown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Jacksonburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jacksonburg is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- South Middletown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- South Middletown is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Middletown
- Miltonville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Miltonville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miltonville
- Trenton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Champaign County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Christiansburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Saint Paris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Millerstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Millerstown is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerstown
- Carysville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Carysville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carysville
- Westville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Westville is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westville
- Urbana
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Powhattan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Powhattan is located in Champaign County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhattan
- Clark County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Park Layne
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Park Layne is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Layne
- Crystal Lakes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Crystal Lakes is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Lakes
- New Carlisle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Holiday Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Holiday Valley is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Valley
- Donnelsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Donnelsville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnelsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Green Meadows
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Green Meadows is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Meadows
- Dodo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dodo is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodo
- Enon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- North Hampton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- North Hampton is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hampton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 463 people
- Limestone City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Limestone City is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone City
- Dialton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dialton is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dialton
- Lawrenceville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrenceville is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceville
- Eagle City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Eagle City is located in Clark County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle City
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- New Burlington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Burlington is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Burlington
- North Kingman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- North Kingman is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kingman
- Darke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Pitsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gordon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Gordon is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Ithaca
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Ithaca is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ithaca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 129 people
- Arcanum
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Abbottsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Abbottsville is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsville
- Gettysburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gettysburg is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gettysburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 809 people
- Poplar Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Poplar Ridge is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Ridge
- Castine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Castine is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castine
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Savona
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Savona is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savona
- Fort Jefferson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Jefferson is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Jefferson
- Stelvideo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Stelvideo is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stelvideo
- Wayne Lakes
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wayne Lakes is located in Darke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne Lakes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Wayne Lakes has also been known as:
- Wayne Lakes Park
- Greenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Fairborn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Beavercreek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Trebein
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Trebein is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trebein
- Trebein has also been known as:
- Beaver Station
- Beaver
- Frost Station
- Pickeneyville
- Pinckneyvile
- Yellow Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bellbrook
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Pinewood Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Pinewood Village is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinewood Village
- Xenia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wilberforce
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cedarville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Roxanna
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Roxanna is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxanna
- New Jasper
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Jasper is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Jasper
- Miami County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Ginghamsburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Ginghamsburg is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ginghamsburg
- Tipp City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Kessler
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kessler is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kessler
- Garland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Garland is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland
- West Milton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Troy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Alcony
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alcony is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcony
- Ludlow Falls
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ludlow Falls is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow Falls
- Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
- Casstown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Potsdam
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Potsdam is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potsdam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 295 people
- Laura
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Covington
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Preble County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Verona
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Euphemia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Euphemia is located in Preble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Euphemia
- Lewisburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Ingomar
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ingomar is located in Preble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingomar
- West Alexandria
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- West Manchester
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Gratis
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Eaton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Eldorado
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Eldorado is located in Preble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
- Population from the 2020 Census: 490 people
- West Elkton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- New Hope is located in Preble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Camden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Lakengren
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Lakengren is located in Preble County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Lakengren
- Shelby County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Riverside
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Riverside is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Lockington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lockington is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 133 people
- Russia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dawson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dawson is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Hardin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hardin is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardin
- Pasco
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pasco is located in Shelby County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pasco
- Sidney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Five Points
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Five Points is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Franklin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Kenricksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Kenricksville is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenricksville
- Springboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Waynesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Corwin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Hunter
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hunter is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
- Red Lion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Red Lion is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lion
- Harveysburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Harveysburg is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveysburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
- Greentree Corners
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Greentree Corners is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greentree Corners
- Lebanon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Williams County
- Franklin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Franklin is located in Williams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vandalia, see our County-by-County Page for Vandalia.
Cemeteries Near Vandalia ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vandalia.
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 Vandalia - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vandalia covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Poplar Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Friends Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Booher Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Compton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cassel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Dayton Memorial Park Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Johnson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Reed Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Forest Hills Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Polk Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk Grove Cemetery
- The Polk Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Maple Grove Cemetery
- Polk Cemetery
- Polk Grove UCC Cemetery
- Concord Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (553 more) ...
- Shiloh Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Florence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Shearer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
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 Vandalia had a population of 265 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Vandalia had a population of 14,987 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Spanker
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spanker is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanker
- Tadmor ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tadmor is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tadmor
- Little York
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Little York is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little York
- Ginghamsburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Ginghamsburg is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ginghamsburg
- West Charleston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Charleston is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Charleston
- Kinsey
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kinsey is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinsey
- Taylorsburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Taylorsburg is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsburg
- Sulphur Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Sulphur Grove is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Grove
- Union
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Brandt
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Brandt is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandt
- County Line ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- County Line is located in Miami County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line
- Clayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Stillwater Junction
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stillwater Junction is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stillwater Junction
- Trotwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vandalia. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vandalia.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Vandalia ...
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 264 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vandalia.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Vandalia. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Vandalia and those printed in the larger area surrounding Vandalia.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4> of Vandalia.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Vandalia:
- Websites specific to Ohio
- Pages specific to Montgomery County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Butler County
- Champaign County
- Clark County
- Clinton County
- Darke County
- Greene County
- Miami County
- Preble County
- Shelby County
- Warren County
- Williams 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> | 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 Vandalia, 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- Vandalia) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |