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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 Benton (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 Benton. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Benton is located in Columbia County.

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 Columbia County: Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill & Sullivan.

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Benton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton listed first.
    • Waller
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waller have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waller
      • Waller is located in Columbia County
    • Stillwater
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jackson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Zaner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Rohrsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rohrsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rohrsburg
      • Rohrsburg is located in Columbia County
    • Coles Mill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jonestown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
      • Jonestown is located in Columbia County
    • Greenwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamison City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamison City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamison City
      • Jamison City is located in Columbia County
    • Orangeville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Iola
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Welliversville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Millville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton listed first.
    • Laddsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laddsburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laddsburg
      • Laddsburg is located in Bradford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Laddsburg
      • From Benton to Laddsburg
    • Overton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Overton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
      • Overton is located in Bradford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Overton
      • From Benton to Overton
    • Wilmot
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilmot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
      • Wilmot is located in Bradford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilmot
      • From Benton to Wilmot
    • New Albany
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Albany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Albany
      • New Albany is located in Bradford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Albany <2>
    • Evergreen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evergreen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
      • Evergreen is located in Bradford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Evergreen
      • From Benton to Evergreen
    • New Era
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Carbon County
  • Luzerne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton listed first.
    • Clarks View
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • New Columbus
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Columbus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
      • New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
    • Register
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Register. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Register
      • Register is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Register
      • From Benton to Register
    • Fairmount Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Harveyville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Huntington Mills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Mossville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Red Rock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Rock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
      • Red Rock is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Red Rock
      • From Benton to Red Rock
    • Pleasant Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Waterton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Rittenhouse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rittenhouse. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rittenhouse
      • Rittenhouse is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rittenhouse
      • From Benton to Rittenhouse
    • Bloomingdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • East Berwick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Berwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Berwick
      • East Berwick is located in Luzerne County
  • Lycoming County
  • Montour County
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton listed first.
    • Turbotville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turbotville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turbotville
      • Turbotville is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 662 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turbotville <2>
    • Riverside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,839 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverside <2>
    • Chulasky
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chulasky. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulasky
      • Chulasky is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chulasky
      • From Benton to Chulasky
    • Rushtown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rushtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushtown
      • Rushtown is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rushtown
      • From Benton to Rushtown
    • Elysburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elysburg
      • Elysburg is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elysburg <2>
    • Marion Heights
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Heights
      • Marion Heights is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
    • McEwensville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Bear Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Potts Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Watsontown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Kulpmont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kulpmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kulpmont
      • Kulpmont is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kulpmont <2>
    • Milton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
      • Milton is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
    • Dewart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Schuylkill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton listed first.
    • Nuremberg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ferndale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ferndale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferndale
      • Ferndale is located in Schuylkill County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ferndale
      • From Benton to Ferndale
    • Zion Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ringtown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Oneida
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Sheppton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheppton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheppton
      • Sheppton is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sheppton <2>
    • Krebs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Krebs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krebs
      • Krebs is located in Schuylkill County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Krebs
      • From Benton to Krebs
    • Brandonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Lost Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Raven Run
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Raven Run. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven Run
      • Raven Run is located in Schuylkill County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Raven Run
      • From Benton to Raven Run
    • Shenandoah Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shenandoah Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah Heights
      • Shenandoah Heights is located in Schuylkill County
    • Shenandoah
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Girard Manor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sullivan County
  • Union County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton listed first.
    • Noxen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Beaumont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Mill City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill City
      • Mill City is located in Wyoming County
    • Evans Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evans Falls. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Falls
      • Evans Falls is located in Wyoming County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Evans Falls
      • From Benton to Evans Falls
    • Forkston
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forkston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkston
      • Forkston is located in Wyoming County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forkston
      • From Benton to Forkston
    • Stowell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stowell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stowell
      • Stowell is located in Wyoming County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stowell
      • From Benton to Stowell
    • Jenks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Vernon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jenningsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Benton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Benton.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Benton, with the one closest to Benton 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Benton had a population of 645 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Benton had a population of 805 people.

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

  • Stillwater
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Coles Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coles Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Creek
    • Coles Creek is located in Columbia County
  • Waller
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waller have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waller
    • Waller is located in Columbia County
  • Zaner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Cambra
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambra
    • Cambra is located in Luzerne County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambra <2>
  • Laubach
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laubach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laubach
    • Laubach is located in Columbia County
  • Derrs
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Derrs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derrs
    • Derrs is located in Columbia County
  • Asbury
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury
    • Asbury is located in Columbia County
  • New Columbus
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Columbus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
    • New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
  • Register
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Register. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Register
    • Register is located in Luzerne County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Register
    • From Benton to Register
  • Clarks View
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Greenwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Town Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Town Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Hill
      • Town Hill is located in Luzerne County
    • Central
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
      • Central is located in Columbia County
    • Sereno
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sereno have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
      • Sereno is located in Columbia County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Benton ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Benton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Benton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Benton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Benton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5> of Benton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Benton:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Benton. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Columbia County: www.columbiapa.org/county/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Benton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Benton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1960, Longitude: -76.3840    
<6>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.
<7>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 Benton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025