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 Bells Camp (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 Bells Camp. 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 Bells Camp ...
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.
While the name of this community is Bells Camp, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Bells Camp may originally have been Bell's Camp.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Bells Camp might be written as Bell Camp.
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 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 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.
Bells Camp is located in McKean County.
To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of McKean County: Allegany (NY), Cattaraugus (NY), Cameron, Elk, Forest, Potter & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Bells Camp. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bells Camp:
- McKean County (The home county of Bells Camp)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Gilmore
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Gilmore is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Derrick City
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dallas City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Dallas City is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
- Summit
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Summit is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Sawyer City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sawyer City is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer City
- Foster Brook
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Foster Brook is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
- Tuna
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Tuna is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
- Duke Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Duke Center is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Rixford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rixford is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
- Rew
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Rew is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rew
- Bradford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Allen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Allen is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Instanter
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Instanter is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
- Streights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Wilcox
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- James City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Windy City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Windy City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy City
- McKinley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- McKinley is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKinley
- Potter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Shinglehouse
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- East Sharon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- East Sharon is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharon
- Honeoye
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Honeoye is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honeoye
- Williston
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Williston is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Millport
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Millport is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
- Roulette
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Coneville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Coneville is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coneville
- Chrystal
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Chrystal is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chrystal
- Hebron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hebron is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Oswayo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Oswayo is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswayo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 130 people
- Coudersport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Sugar Run ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sugar Run is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Run
- Kinzua ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Kinzua is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
- Big Bend
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Big Bend is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Hemlock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hemlock is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
- Roystone
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Roystone is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roystone
- Stoneham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stoneham is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
- Allegany County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Bowler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Little Genesee
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- West Clarksville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- West Clarksville is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Clarksville
- Bolivar
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Kossuth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Kossuth is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kossuth
- Richburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cuba
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cuba is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,460 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cuba <2>
- Sawyer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sawyer is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
- Alma
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alma is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma
- Vosburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Vosburg is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg
- Lyons Corners
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lyons Corners is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons Corners
- Allentown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cattaraugus County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Harrisburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Rock City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Chipmunk
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
- Four Mile
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Limestone
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- New Ireland ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Ireland is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ireland
- New Ireland has also been known as:
- Irish Town
- Little Ireland
- Allegany
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Saint Bonaventure
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Olean
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Olean is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olean
- Population from the 2020 Census: 13,371 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Olean <2>
- Westons Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Carrollton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Carrollton is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Portville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Chautauqua County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Ivory
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Ivory is located in Chautauqua County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivory
- Kennedy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bells Camp, see our County-by-County Page for Bells Camp.
Cemeteries Near Bells Camp ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bells Camp.
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 Bells Camp - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bells Camp covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rixford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Limestone Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Bernards Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Willow Dale Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Mt. View Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- St. Bonaventure Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Allegany Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allegany Cemetery
- The Allegany Cemetery has also been known as:
- Allegany Protestant Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #63838 <3>
- Moody Hollow Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lamphier Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (139 more) ...
- Smith Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Portville Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Portville Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Weston Mills (NY).
- The Portville Cemetery has also been known as:
- Haskell Cemetery
- Oakley Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #65704 <3>
- East Portville Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bells Camp had a population of 216 people in 1895 with railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bells Camp, with the one closest to Bells Camp listed first.
- Gilmore
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Gilmore is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Red Rock
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Red Rock is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
- Derrick City
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dallas City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Dallas City is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas City
- Summit
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Summit is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Sawyer City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sawyer City is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer City
- Tuna
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Tuna is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuna
- Foster Brook
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Foster Brook is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Brook
- Rixford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rixford is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixford
- Duke Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Duke Center is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duke Center
- Bradford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chipmunk
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Rew
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Rew is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rew
- Four Mile
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Limestone
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bells Camp. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bells Camp.
Newspapers Published in Bells Camp ...
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 115 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bells Camp.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bells Camp, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bells Camp.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Bells Camp:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to McKean County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Elk County
- Potter County
- Warren County
- Allegany County
- Cattaraugus County
- Chautauqua County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <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 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. |
| <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 Bells Camp, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bells Camp) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |