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 Bedford Springs (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 Bedford Springs. 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 Bedford Springs ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Bedford Springs: Bedford Spgs. (or less commonly used: Bedford Spngs. or Bedford Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bedford Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bedford Springs.
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 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.
Bedford Springs is located in Bedford 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 Bedford County: Allegany (MD), Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon & Somerset.
Below are the counties that are near Bedford Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bedford Springs:
- Bedford County (The home county of Bedford Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Bedford
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cliffs ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cliffs is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffs
- Ott Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ott Town is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott Town
- Wolfsburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
- Charlesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Charlesville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Penn Wood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Penn Wood is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Wood
- Yount
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Yount is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yount
- Manns Choice
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mount Dallas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Dallas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Dallas
- Schellsburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Everett
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Rainsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Rainsburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Blair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Cotton Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Cotton Town is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
- Claysburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Blue Knob
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Blue Knob is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Knob
- East Sharpsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- East Sharpsburg is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharpsburg
- Roaring Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Clover Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clover Creek is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Creek
- Martinsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Brooks Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Brooks Mill is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Mill
- Puzzletown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Puzzletown is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puzzletown
- Newry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Duncansville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Beavertown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beavertown is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beavertown
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Dunlo
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Dunlo is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlo
- Beaverdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Beaverdale is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdale
- Salix
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Salix is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salix
- Scalp Level
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Scalp Level is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalp Level
- Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
- Puritan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Puritan is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puritan
- Sidman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Spring Hill is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
- Geistown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Geistown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geistown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
- Ingleside
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ingleside is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Saint Michael
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Michael is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Michael
- Bens Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bens Creek is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bens Creek
- Belmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Belmont is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Crystal Spring
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Crystal Spring is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Spring
- Emmaville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Emmaville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmaville
- Akersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Akersville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
- Valley-Hi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Valley-Hi is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley-Hi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
- Sipes Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Wells Tannery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Wells Tannery is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Tannery
- Pleasant Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Dott
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dott is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
- Needmore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Laidig
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Laidig is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
- Covalt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Harrisonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Coalmont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coalmont is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Dudley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dudley is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
- Middletown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Middletown is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Broad Top City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Broad Top City is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broad Top City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
- Robertsdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Robertsdale is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsdale
- Cooks
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cooks is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks
- Joller ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Joller is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joller
- Salter
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Salter is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salter
- Entriken
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kimmel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Kimmel is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmel
- Rocky Ridge ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Ridge is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
- Coles ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coles is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- New Baltimore
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- New Baltimore is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Baltimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
- Central City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ogletown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ogletown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogletown
- Fairhope
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Indian Lake is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
- Johnsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Buckstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Buckstown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckstown
- Downey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Downey is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
- Forward
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Forward is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forward
- Shanksville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Berlin
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Boswell
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Allegany County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Flintstone
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Rush
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Rush is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
- Ellerslie
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Ellerslie is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerslie
- Town Creek ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Town Creek is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Creek
- Corriganville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Corriganville is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriganville
- Mount Savage Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Savage Junction is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Savage Junction
- Little Orleans
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Barrelville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Barrelville is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrelville
- Cumberland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Shanty Town ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Shanty Town is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
- Green Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Green Ridge is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
- La Vale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Pearre
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Pearre is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearre
- Hancock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mineral County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Ridgeley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Carpendale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carpendale is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpendale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
- Wiley Ford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Orleans Cross Roads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
- Hancock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Doe Gully
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Doe Gully is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
- Woodmont
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
- Hansrote
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hansrote is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
- Bath
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bath is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Berkeley Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Magnolia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Magnolia is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Berryville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bedford Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Bedford Springs.
Cemeteries Near Bedford Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bedford Springs.
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 Bedford Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bedford Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Bedford Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Indian Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hershberger Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ritchey Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Everett Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Schellsburg Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schellsburg Cemetery
- The Schellsburg Cemetery has also been known as:
- Chestnut Ridge Cemetery
- Old Log Church Cemetery
- Union Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1964953 <2>
- Fishertown Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Friends Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Hetrick Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Burger Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Steele Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Old Union Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (180 more) ...
- Camp Run Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fellowship & Union Cemeteries
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Pauls Cemetery
- The St. Pauls Cemetery has also been known as:
- Yellow Creek Reformed Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #46229 <2>
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 Bedford Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bedford Springs.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
- Bedford
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cliffs ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cliffs is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffs
- Wolfsburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
- Charlesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Charlesville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Ott Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ott Town is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott Town
- Lutzville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lutzville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lutzville
- Hartley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hartley is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartley
- Napier
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Napier is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Manns Choice
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ashcom
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ashcom is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcom
- Burning Bush
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Burning Bush is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burning Bush
- Belden
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Belden is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belden
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Mount Dallas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Dallas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Dallas
- Imlertown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Imlertown is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imlertown
- Cessna
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Cessna is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cessna
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bedford Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bedford Springs.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bedford Springs ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bedford Springs.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bedford Springs. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bedford Springs and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bedford Springs.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 18 miles [29 km]<4> of Bedford Springs.
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 Bedford Springs:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blair County
- Cambria County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Somerset County
- Allegany County
- Washington County
- Mineral County
- Morgan 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 Bedford Springs, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bedford Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |