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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 Bellefonte (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 Bellefonte. 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.

Bellefonte is located in Centre County and is the County Seat.

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 Centre County: Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon, Mifflin & Union.

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

  • Centre County     (The home county of Bellefonte)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Axemann
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Axemann. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axemann
      • Axemann is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Axemann
      • From Bellefonte to Axemann
    • Milesburg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Central City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Centre County
    • Wingate
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wingate. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
      • Wingate is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wingate
      • From Bellefonte to Wingate
    • Pleasant Gap
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Zion
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Curtin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curtin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtin
      • Curtin is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Curtin
      • From Bellefonte to Curtin
    • Unionville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Centre Hall
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Houserville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lemont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lemont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemont
      • Lemont is located in Centre County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lemont <2>
    • Linden Hall
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Blair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Tyrone Forge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tyrone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tyrone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
      • Tyrone is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,095 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tyrone <2>
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Kylertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Pottersdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Chester Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Hill
      • Chester Hill is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people
    • Morrisdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Osceola Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osceola Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola Mills
      • Osceola Mills is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,058 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Osceola Mills <2>
    • Wallaceton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • West Decatur
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Shiloh
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shiloh. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Shiloh is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shiloh
      • From Bellefonte to Shiloh
    • Ashland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
      • Ashland is located in Clearfield County
    • Parsonsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Brisbin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Woodland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Abdera
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Lamar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Beech Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beech Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Creek
      • Beech Creek is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 685 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beech Creek <2>
    • Tylersville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Mill Hall
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Hall
      • Mill Hall is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,586 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mill Hall <2>
    • Salona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Flemington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flemington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
      • Flemington is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,312 people
    • Rote
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rote. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rote
      • Rote is located in Clinton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rote
      • From Bellefonte to Rote
    • Greenburr
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Farrandsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lock Haven
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Huntingdon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Ennisville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ennisville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennisville
      • Ennisville is located in Huntingdon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ennisville
      • From Bellefonte to Ennisville
    • Dungarvin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Neffs Mills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Seven Stars
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Stars have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
      • Seven Stars is located in Huntingdon County
    • Donation
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Huntingdon Furnace
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pennington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pennington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
      • Pennington is located in Huntingdon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pennington
      • From Bellefonte to Pennington
    • Petersburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
      • Petersburg is located in Huntingdon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 460 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Petersburg <2>
    • Birmingham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Alexandria
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Water Street
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Juniata County
  • Mifflin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Milroy
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milroy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
      • Milroy is located in Mifflin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milroy <2>
    • Kishacoquillas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Honey Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Lumber City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumber City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City
      • Lumber City is located in Mifflin County
    • Reedsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Belleville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
      • Belleville is located in Mifflin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belleville <2>
    • Yeagertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Burnham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnham
      • Burnham is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,984 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burnham <2>
    • Highland Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Menno
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Alfarata
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alfarata. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfarata
      • Alfarata is located in Mifflin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alfarata
      • From Bellefonte to Alfarata
    • Juniata Terrace
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Juniata Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata Terrace
      • Juniata Terrace is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
  • Snyder County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte listed first.
    • Bannerville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • McClure
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McClure have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClure
      • McClure is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 919 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McClure <2>
    • Middle Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Troxelville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Troxelville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troxelville
      • Troxelville is located in Snyder County
  • Union County

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

Cemeteries Near Bellefonte ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bellefonte.

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 Bellefonte covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bellefonte, with the one closest to Bellefonte 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bellefonte had a population of 3,946 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Bellefonte had a population of 6,188 people.

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

  • Axemann
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Axemann. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axemann
    • Axemann is located in Centre County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Axemann
    • From Bellefonte to Axemann
  • Milesburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Wingate
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wingate. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
    • Wingate is located in Centre County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wingate
    • From Bellefonte to Wingate
  • Pleasant Gap
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Zion
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Curtin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Curtin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtin
    • Curtin is located in Centre County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Curtin
    • From Bellefonte to Curtin
  • Dale Summit
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dale Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale Summit
    • Dale Summit is located in Centre County
  • Mount Eagle
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Eagle
    • Mount Eagle is located in Centre County
  • Gum Stump
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gum Stump have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Stump
    • Gum Stump is located in Centre County
  • Unionville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Fillmore
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fillmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
    • Fillmore is located in Centre County
  • Houserville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Centre Hall
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Linden Hall
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Rhoads
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhoads have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoads
      • Rhoads is located in Centre County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bellefonte ...

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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bellefonte.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Bellefonte. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Bellefonte and those printed in the larger area surrounding Bellefonte.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5> of Bellefonte.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Bellefonte:

The official website for Bellefonte: www.bellefonte.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>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- Bellefonte) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bellefonte. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.9140, Longitude: -77.7755    
<6>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 Bellefonte, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025