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 Bencetown (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 Bencetown. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Bencetown is located in Indiana 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 Indiana County: Armstrong, Cambria, Clearfield, Jefferson & Westmoreland.
Below are the counties that are near Bencetown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bencetown:
- Indiana County (The home county of Bencetown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Dicksonville
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dicksonville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dicksonville
- Rayne
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Rayne is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rayne
- Commodore
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Purchase Line
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Purchase Line is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purchase Line
- Clymer
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Tanoma
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tanoma is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanoma
- Cookport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cookport is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cookport
- Marion Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kintersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kintersburg is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kintersburg
- Gilpin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gilpin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilpin
- Home
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Home is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Hillsdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hillsdale is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Ambrose
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Barnards
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Barnards is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnards
- Atwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Atwood is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Dayton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bryan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bryan is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
- Rural Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Blanco
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Blanco is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
- Elderton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Yatesboro
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Yatesboro is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yatesboro
- Echo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Echo is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
- Muff
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Muff is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muff
- Whitesburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Whitesburg is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesburg
- Eddyville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Eddyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- McWilliams
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Blair County
- Highland Fling
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Highland Fling is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Fling
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Garmantown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Garmantown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garmantown
- West Branch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- West Branch is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Branch
- Barnesboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Barnesboro is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesboro
- Northern Cambria
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Northern Cambria is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northern Cambria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,456 people
- Nicktown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Nicktown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicktown
- Spangler
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Spangler is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spangler
- White Mill Crossing
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- White Mill Crossing is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Mill Crossing
- Hastings
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Belsano
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Belsano is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belsano
- Elmora
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Elmora is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmora
- Saint Benedict
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Benedict is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Benedict
- Colver
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Carrolltown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Fairmont City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hawthorn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- New Bethlehem
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Brinkerton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Brinkerton is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkerton
- Crates
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Crates is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crates
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Burnside
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Burnside is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Sylvis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Sylvis is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvis
- New Washington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Washington is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Westover
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Westover is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
- Mahaffey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Newburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Newburg is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Mayes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Mayes is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayes
- McPherron
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- McPherron is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McPherron
- Thompsontown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Thompsontown is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsontown
- Bower
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bower is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bower
- Cherry Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cherry Corner is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Corner
- Curry Run
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Curry Run is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curry Run
- Irvona
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Valier
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Valier is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
- Punxsutawney
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Winslow
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Winslow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winslow
- Albion
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Albion is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Oliveburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Oliveburg is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliveburg
- Timblin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Timblin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Panic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Panic is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panic
- Worthville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Worthville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Coolspring
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wishaw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wishaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishaw
- Green Valley
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Green Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Pansy
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Pansy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Langville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Langville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langville
- Lawrence County
- Big Run
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Big Run is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Seward
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Robb
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Robb is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robb
- Bolivar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- New Florence
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Burrell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Burrell is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrell
- Livermore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Livermore is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livermore
- West Fairfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- West Fairfield is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairfield
- Avonmore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Salina
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Derry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bencetown, see our County-by-County Page for Bencetown.
Cemeteries Near Bencetown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bencetown.
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 Bencetown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bencetown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the east of Marion Center.
- The Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Decker's Point Baptist Cemetery
- Shiloh Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2148815 <3>
- Columbia Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Elizabeths Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sample Run Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Diamondville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cookport Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rich Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Fairview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Wampler Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Cherryhill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stephens Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rowley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowley Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Rowley Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Hillsdale.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45933 <3>
- Continue List (219 more) ...
- Bethesda Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Thompson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Thompson Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Hillsdale.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #46469 <3>
- Old Washington Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
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 Bencetown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bencetown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bencetown, with the one closest to Bencetown listed first.
- Dixonville
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dixonville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixonville
- Deckers Point
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Deckers Point is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckers Point
- Tanoma
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tanoma is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanoma
- Purchase Line
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Purchase Line is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purchase Line
- Onberg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Onberg is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onberg
- Cookport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cookport is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cookport
- Marion Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gilpin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gilpin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilpin
- Home
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Home is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Kenwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kenwood is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
- Pine Flats
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Flats is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Flats
- Hillsdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Hillsdale is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Rochester Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Rochester Mills is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester Mills
- Ambrose
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Penn Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bencetown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bencetown.
Newspapers Published in Bencetown ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bencetown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bencetown, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bencetown.
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 Bencetown:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Indiana County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Blair County
- Cambria County
- Clarion County
- Clearfield County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- Westmoreland 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Bencetown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Bencetown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |