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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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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.

Bethel is located in Berks 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 Berks County: Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery & Schuylkill.

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

  • Berks County     (The home county of Bethel)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Locustdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locustdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locustdale
      • Locustdale is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Locustdale <1>
    • Centralia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Aristes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aristes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
      • Aristes is located in Columbia County
    • Newlin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Numidia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Slabtown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slabtown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slabtown
      • Slabtown is located in Columbia County
  • Dauphin County
  • Lancaster County
  • Lebanon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Greble
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Myerstown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Mount Zion
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Zion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
      • Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Zion
      • From Bethel to Mount Zion
    • Fredericksburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <1>
    • Richland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Sheridan
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sheridan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
      • Sheridan is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sheridan
      • From Bethel to Sheridan
    • Prescott
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Newmanstown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newmanstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newmanstown
      • Newmanstown is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newmanstown <1>
    • Avon Heights
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avon Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon Heights
      • Avon Heights is located in Lebanon County
    • Avon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
      • Avon is located in Lebanon County
    • Jonestown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonestown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
      • Jonestown is located in Lebanon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,031 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonestown <1>
    • Sand Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
      • Sand Hill is located in Lebanon County
  • Lehigh County
  • Luzerne County
    • Newtown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newtown
      • From Bethel to Newtown
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Locust Gap
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Dooleyville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Mount Carmel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Carmel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
      • Mount Carmel is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,708 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Carmel <1>
    • Gowen City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gowen City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
      • Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
    • Leck Kill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Natalie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Bear Valley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Marshallton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshallton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallton
      • Marshallton is located in Northumberland County
    • Shamokin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Edgewood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Northumberland County
    • Bear Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Kulpmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kulpmont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Schuylkill County

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

Cemeteries Near Bethel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.

  • Bethel Mennonite Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Salem Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Reformed Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Frantz Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frantz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frantz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Zeiglers Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zeiglers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zeiglers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Merkey Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Merkey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Merkey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Altalaha Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Altalaha Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Altalaha Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns UCC Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns UCC Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns UCC Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hamlin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Meyer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meyer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Manbeck Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Manbeck Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Manbeck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (248 more) ...

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Bethel had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Rehrersburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Crosskill Mills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crosskill Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosskill Mills
    • Crosskill Mills is located in Berks County
  • Mount Aetna
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Wintersville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hamlin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamlin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin
    • Hamlin is located in Lebanon County
  • Greble
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Schubert
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Schubert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schubert
    • Schubert is located in Berks County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Schubert
    • From Bethel to Schubert
  • Meckville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Strausstown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Stanhope
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanhope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
    • Stanhope is located in Schuylkill County
  • Myerstown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Host
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Host have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Host
    • Host is located in Berks County
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • Moyers
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Moyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moyers
      • Moyers is located in Schuylkill County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Moyers
      • From Bethel to Moyers
    • Fredericksburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <1>
    • Mount Zion
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Zion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
      • Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Zion
      • From Bethel to Mount Zion

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

Newspapers Published in Bethel ...

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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.

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 Bethel:

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

The official website for Berks County: www.co.berks.pa.us/

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

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>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.
<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>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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Bethel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bethel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4745, Longitude: -76.2920    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025