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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 Bell Point (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 Bell Point. 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 Bell Point ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bell Point: Bell Pt.

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.

Bell Point is located in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana & Somerset.

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

  • Westmoreland County     (The home county of Bell Point)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Oklahoma
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Oklahoma is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklahoma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 739 people
    • North Washington
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • North Washington is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Washington
    • Salina
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Avonmore
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • East Vandergrift
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • East Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Vandergrift
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 631 people
    • Vandergrift
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Hyde Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Weinel Crossroads
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Weinel Crossroads is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinel Crossroads
    • Slickville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Slickville is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slickville
    • West Leechburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • West Leechburg is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leechburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
    • Bagdad
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Bagdad is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagdad
    • Franklin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Franklin is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
  • Allegheny County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Karns
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Karns is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karns
    • Brackenridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Natrona
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Natrona is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
    • Sligo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sligo is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sligo
    • Plum
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Plum is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,993 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plum <1>
    • Leechburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Leechburg is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leechburg
    • New Texas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • New Texas is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Texas
    • Tarentum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Springdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Unity
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Unity is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
    • Garden City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Garden City is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Cheswick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Apollo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apollo <1>
    • North Apollo
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Orchard Hills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
    • Edmon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Edmon is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmon
    • Spring Church
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Leechburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Olivet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Olivet is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
    • Cochrans Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Cochrans Mills is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrans Mills
    • Neale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Neale is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neale
    • Aladdin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Aladdin is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aladdin
    • Freeport
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • McVille
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • McVille is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McVille
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Monroe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Monroe is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
    • Ekastown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ekastown is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekastown
    • Leasureville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Leasureville is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasureville
    • Dennys Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Dennys Mills is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennys Mills
    • Saxonburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Frazier Mill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Frazier Mill is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier Mill
    • Great Belt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Great Belt is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Belt
    • Glade Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Glade Mills is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade Mills
    • Fenelton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Herman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Valencia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Nixon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Nixon is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixon
  • Clarion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Phillipston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Phillipston is located in Clarion County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipston
    • East Brady
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Laurelville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Laurelville is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelville
    • Bear Rocks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bear Rocks is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Rocks
  • Indiana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Clarksburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • White
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • White is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
    • Saltsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • West Lebanon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • West Lebanon is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lebanon
    • Bow
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bow is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow
    • Parkwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Parkwood is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • Jacksonville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jacksonville is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
    • Aultman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Aultman is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aultman
    • Shelocta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Smathers
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Smathers is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smathers
    • Blairsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Black Lick
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Black Lick is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Lick
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point listed first.
    • Ellsworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellsworth is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
    • Black Diamond
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Black Diamond is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
    • Donora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Donora is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donora <1>
    • Gastonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Gastonville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonville
    • Monongahela
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Riverview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Riverview is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview

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

Cemeteries Near Bell Point ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bell Point.

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 Bell Point - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bell Point, with the one closest to Bell Point 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.<4>

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

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

  • North Washington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • North Washington is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Washington
  • Apollo
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Apollo is located in Armstrong County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,507 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apollo <1>
  • Paulton
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Paulton is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulton
  • Salina
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Vandergrift
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Avonmore
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Spring Church
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Markle
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Markle is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markle
  • Leechburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Nowrytown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Nowrytown is located in Indiana County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nowrytown
  • Milligantown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Milligantown is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milligantown
  • Elders Ridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Elders Ridge is located in Indiana County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elders Ridge
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Olivet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Olivet is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
    • Shady Plain
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Shady Plain is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Plain
    • Dime
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Dime is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dime

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

Newspapers Published in Bell Point ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bell Point.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bell Point, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bell Point.

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 either 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 Bell Point:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bell Point) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Bell Point, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.