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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 Bear Valley (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 Bear Valley. 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 Bear Valley ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bear Valley: Bear Vly. (or less commonly used: Bear Vally. or Bear Vlly.)

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Bear Valley is located in Northumberland County.

To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Northumberland County: Columbia, Dauphin, Lycoming, Montour, Schuylkill, Snyder & Union.

Below are the counties that are near Bear Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bear Valley:

  • Northumberland County     (The home county of Bear Valley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Northumberland County
    • Shamokin
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Marshallton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshallton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallton
      • Marshallton is located in Northumberland County
    • Gowen City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gowen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
      • Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
    • Kulpmont
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kulpmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kulpmont
      • Kulpmont is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kulpmont <2>
    • Leck Kill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bear Gap
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Farnsworth
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farnsworth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnsworth
      • Farnsworth is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farnsworth
      • From Bear Valley to Farnsworth
    • Trevorton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trevorton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trevorton
      • Trevorton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trevorton <2>
    • Elysburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elysburg
      • Elysburg is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elysburg <2>
    • Marion Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Heights
      • Marion Heights is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
    • Natalie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Berks County
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Locustdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locustdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locustdale
      • Locustdale is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Locustdale <2>
    • Numidia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Aristes
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aristes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
      • Aristes is located in Columbia County
    • Centralia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Newlin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Queen City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Columbia County
    • Slabtown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slabtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slabtown
      • Slabtown is located in Columbia County
    • Catawissa
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Grovania
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Rupert
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rupert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rupert
      • Rupert is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rupert
      • From Bear Valley to Rupert
    • Fernville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fernville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernville
      • Fernville is located in Columbia County
    • Bloomsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Dauphin County
  • Juniata County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Knousetown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Richfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Seven Stars
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Stars have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
      • Seven Stars is located in Juniata County
  • Lebanon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Murray
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Murray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
      • Murray is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Murray
      • From Bear Valley to Murray
    • Green Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Inwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Inwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
      • Inwood is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Inwood
      • From Bear Valley to Inwood
    • Lickdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lickdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickdale
      • Lickdale is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lickdale
      • From Bear Valley to Lickdale
    • Fort Indiantown Gap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Fredericksburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <2>
    • Jonestown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
      • Jonestown is located in Lebanon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,031 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonestown <2>
    • Bunker Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Greble
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Zion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Heilmandale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Sand Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
      • Sand Hill is located in Lebanon County
  • Luzerne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Newtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newtown
      • From Bear Valley to Newtown
    • Mountain Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • East Berwick
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Berwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Berwick
      • East Berwick is located in Luzerne County
    • Nescopeck
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nescopeck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nescopeck
      • Nescopeck is located in Luzerne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,522 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nescopeck <2>
    • Tomhicken
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tomhicken. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomhicken
      • Tomhicken is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tomhicken
      • From Bear Valley to Tomhicken
    • Beach Haven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Sybertsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Montour County
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Liverpool
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liverpool have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool
      • Liverpool is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 957 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liverpool <2>
    • New Buffalo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Buffalo
      • New Buffalo is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Reward
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Schuylkill County
  • Snyder County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bear Valley, with the one closest to Bear Valley listed first.
    • Shamokin Dam
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Dundore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Hummels Wharf
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hummels Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hummels Wharf
      • Hummels Wharf is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hummels Wharf <2>
    • Port Trevorton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Selinsgrove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selinsgrove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selinsgrove
      • Selinsgrove is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,913 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Selinsgrove <2>
    • Kratzerville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kratzerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kratzerville
      • Kratzerville is located in Snyder County
    • Freeburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
      • Freeburg is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
    • McKees Half Falls
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Hoffer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hoffer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffer
      • Hoffer is located in Snyder County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hoffer
      • From Bear Valley to Hoffer
    • Kreamer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kreamer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kreamer
      • Kreamer is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kreamer <2>
    • Pallas
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Globe Mills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Union County

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

Cemeteries Near Bear Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bear Valley.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

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.<5>

While we didn't find Bear Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bear Valley.

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

  • Shamokin
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Gowen City
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gowen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
    • Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
  • Greenback
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenback have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenback
    • Greenback is located in Northumberland County
  • Kulps
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kulps have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kulps
    • Kulps is located in Northumberland County
  • Cabel
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabel
    • Cabel is located in Northumberland County
  • Yordy
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yordy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yordy
    • Yordy is located in Northumberland County
  • Leck Kill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Line Mountain
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Line Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Line Mountain
    • Line Mountain is located in Northumberland County
  • Pitman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Excelsior
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Excelsior have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
    • Excelsior is located in Northumberland County
  • Sagon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sagon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagon
    • Sagon is located in Northumberland County
  • Hepler
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hepler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepler
    • Hepler is located in Schuylkill County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Paxinos
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paxinos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxinos
      • Paxinos is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxinos <2>
    • Bear Gap
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Farnsworth
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farnsworth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnsworth
      • Farnsworth is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farnsworth
      • From Bear Valley to Farnsworth

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

Newspapers Published in Bear Valley ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bear Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bear Valley, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bear Valley.

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 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 Bear Valley:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bear Valley. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Northumberland County: www.northumberlandco.org/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Bear Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Bear Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bear Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7734, Longitude: -76.5771    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025