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 Bidwell (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 Bidwell. 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 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.
Bidwell is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Garrett (MD), Greene, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland, Monongalia (WV) & Preston (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Bidwell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bidwell:
- Fayette County (The home county of Bidwell)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Ohiopyle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Markleysburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Farmington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Washington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Mount Washington is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
- Indian Head
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Indian Head is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head
- Mount Independence
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Independence is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Independence
- South Connellsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Elliottsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elliottsville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsville
- Seven Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbar
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sitka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sitka is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
- Lemont Furnace
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Greensboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Nemacolin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Dilliner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Dilliner is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
- Stringtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Stringtown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Cumberland Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Fairdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Fairdale is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Carmichaels
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ceylon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ceylon is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
- Dunkard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Dunkard is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkard
- Rices Landing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Draketown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Draketown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
- Confluence
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Addison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ursina
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ursina is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Listonburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Listonburg is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
- Markleton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Casselman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Casselman is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casselman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- New Lexington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Lexington is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- New Centerville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- New Centerville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Centerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Rockwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bakersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bakersville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Coal Run
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Coal Run is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Blainsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Blainsburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blainsburg
- West Brownsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- West Brownsville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brownsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- Allenport
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- California
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Speers
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Speers is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
- Coal Center
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elco
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elco is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
- Roscoe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roscoe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 791 people
- Stockdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Daisytown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dunlevy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Long Branch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Long Branch is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
- Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Donegal
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Iron Bridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Iron Bridge is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Bridge
- Scottdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- West Overton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- West Overton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Overton
- Mount Joy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Mount Joy is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Joy
- Stahlstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hawkeye
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hawkeye is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
- Mount Pleasant
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Alverton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Alverton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alverton
- Kecksburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Kecksburg is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kecksburg
- Calumet
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Rector
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Allegany County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Frostburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Klondike
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Klondike is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Midlothian
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Midlothian is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midlothian
- Mount Savage
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Borden Shaft
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Borden Shaft is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Shaft
- Lonaconing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Nikep
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Nikep is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nikep
- Ocean
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ocean is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean
- Woodland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Woodland is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Zihlman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Zihlman is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zihlman
- Garrett County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Friendsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Accident
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Grantsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- McHenry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bittinger
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Avilton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Avilton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
- Swanton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Altamont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Deer Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hutton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Oakland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Oakland is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,803 people
- Monongalia County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Cheat Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
- Canyon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Canyon is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
- Baker Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Baker Ridge is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Ridge
- Brookhaven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brookhaven is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
- Preston County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Hazelton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Clifton Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton Mills is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Mills
- Brandonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brandonville is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Bruceton Mills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Little Sandy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Little Sandy is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sandy
- Morgans Glade
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Morgans Glade is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
- Orr
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Orr is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Lenox
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lenox is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Rockville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rockville is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Albright
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kingwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Masontown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bidwell, see our County-by-County Page for Bidwell.
Cemeteries Near Bidwell ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bidwell.
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 Bidwell - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bidwell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Sands Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Scarlet Knob Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sugar Grove Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northeast of Ohiopyle.
- The Sugar Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Maple Grove Cemetery
- Ohiopyle Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45346 <2>
- Old Jersey Church Turkeyfoot Baptist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Sproul Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ursina Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Imel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Greenbrier Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Tharp Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Middle Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Crossroads Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Spear Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (261 more) ...
- Sansom Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Younkin Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Roebuck Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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 Bidwell in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bidwell.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bidwell, with the one closest to Bidwell listed first.
- Draketown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Draketown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
- Ohiopyle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Confluence
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Stewarton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Stewarton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewarton
- Mill Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Harnedsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harnedsville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harnedsville
- Markleysburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Somerfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Somerfield is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerfield
- Dumas
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dumas is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
- Farmington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ursina
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ursina is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Addison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Fort Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Kingwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Kingwood is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingwood
- Scullton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Scullton is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scullton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bidwell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bidwell.
Newspapers Published in Bidwell ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bidwell.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bidwell, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bidwell.
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 Bidwell:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Fayette County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Greene County
- Somerset County
- Washington County
- Westmoreland County
- Allegany County
- Garrett County
- Monongalia County
- Preston 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> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Bidwell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Bidwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |