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 Backus (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 Backus. 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 and hospitals 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.
Backus is located in McKean County.
To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of McKean County: Allegany (NY), Cattaraugus (NY), Cameron, Elk, Forest, Potter & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Backus. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Backus:
- McKean County (The home county of Backus)
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Simpson
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Simpson is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Aiken
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Aiken is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aiken
- Allen
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Allen is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Big Shanty
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Big Shanty is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Shanty
- Smethport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Wrights Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wrights Corners is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrights Corners
- Lewis Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Jewett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Timbuck
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Timbuck is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuck
- Rew
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rew is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rew
- Custer City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clermont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Clermont is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Cameron County
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Beechwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Weber City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weber City is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
- Emporium
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Instanter
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Instanter is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
- Streights
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Wilcox
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- James City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- McKinley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- McKinley is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKinley
- Windy City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Windy City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy City
- Johnsonburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Johnsonburg is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,264 people
- Russell City
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Russell City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
- Saint Marys
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Whistletown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Whistletown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistletown
- Ridgway
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Forest County
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Sheffield Junction
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sheffield Junction is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield Junction
- Iron City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Iron City is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
- Potter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Williston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Williston is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Roulette
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Shinglehouse
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Millport
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Millport is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
- East Sharon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- East Sharon is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
- Hebron
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hebron is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Honeoye
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Honeoye is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honeoye
- Coneville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Coneville is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coneville
- Austin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Coudersport
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Inez
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Inez is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inez
- Chrystal
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Chrystal is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrystal
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Kinzua ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Kinzua is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
- Sugar Run ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sugar Run is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Run
- Big Bend
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Big Bend is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Roystone
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Roystone is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roystone
- Donaldson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Donaldson is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
- Barnes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Barnes is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
- Hemlock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hemlock is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
- Hoover
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hoover is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
- Saybrook
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Saybrook is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saybrook
- Sheffield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Henrys Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Henrys Mills is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Mills
- Clarendon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Allegany County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Bowler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Little Genesee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bolivar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Clarksville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Kossuth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kossuth is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Richburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alma is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Sawyer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sawyer is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Vosburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Vosburg is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg
- Cattaraugus County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Harrisburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Four Mile
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Limestone
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rock City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Chipmunk
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
- New Ireland ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- New Ireland is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ireland
- New Ireland has also been known as:
- Irish Town
- Little Ireland
- Saint Bonaventure
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Portville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Allegany
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Olean
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <1>
- Westons Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Carrollton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Carrollton is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Backus, see our County-by-County Page for Backus.
Cemeteries Near Backus ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Backus.
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 Backus - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Backus covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- McKean Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bridge View Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. Elizabeths Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Smith Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clermont Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Moody Hollow Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Norwich Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rixford Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- St. Bernards Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Willow Dale Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (84 more) ...
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Lewis Hill Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lamphier Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
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>
While we didn't find Backus in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Backus.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Backus, with the one closest to Backus listed first.
- Ormsby
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Ormsby is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ormsby
- Simpson
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Simpson is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Cyclone
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cyclone is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cyclone
- Mount Alton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mount Alton is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Alton
- Kushequa
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kushequa is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kushequa
- Kasson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kasson is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Gifford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gifford is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gifford
- Big Shanty
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Big Shanty is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Shanty
- Aiken
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Aiken is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aiken
- Lafayette
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lafayette is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette
- Mount Jewett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smethport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Coleville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Coleville is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleville
- Lewis Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Guffey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Guffey is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guffey
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Backus. See our List of 1890's Communities around Backus.
Newspapers Published in Backus ...
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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Backus.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Backus, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Backus.
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 Backus:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to McKean County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cameron County
- Elk County
- Forest County
- Potter County
- Warren County
- Allegany County
- Cattaraugus County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
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 Backus, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Backus) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |