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 Big Mountain (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 Big Mountain. 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 Big Mountain ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Big Mountain: Big Mtn. (or less commonly used: Big Mntn.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Big Mountain. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big Mountain.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Big Mountain is located in York 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 York County: Baltimore (MD), Carroll (MD), Harford (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin & Lancaster.
Below are the counties that are near Big Mountain. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Mountain:
- York County (The home county of Big Mountain)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Davidsburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Davidsburg is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsburg
- Spring Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Grove is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,179 people
- Harmony Grove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Harmony Grove is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove
- Roler
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Roler is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roler
- La Bott
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- La Bott is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Bott
- Thomasville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dover
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Weigelstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Weigelstown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weigelstown
- Wellsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Shiloh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Shiloh is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Rossville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rossville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
- Mount Top
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Top is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Top
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- East Berlin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Abbottstown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hampton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hampton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Lake Meade
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lake Meade is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Meade
- New Oxford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Newchester
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Newchester is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newchester
- Midway
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Midway is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Brush Run
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Brush Run is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Run
- Edgegrove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- York Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Latimore
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Latimore is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimore
- Heidlersburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Heidlersburg is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidlersburg
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Lisburn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
- Allenview
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Allenview is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenview
- Hunters Run
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hunters Run is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Run
- Boiling Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roxbury
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Roxbury is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Trindle Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Trindle Springs is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trindle Springs
- Mount Holly Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lower Allen
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Lower Allen is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Allen
- Mechanicsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shiremanstown
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shiremanstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiremanstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
- Craighead
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Craighead is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craighead
- Barnitz
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Highspire
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Steelton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Middletown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Royalton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Royalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
- Lawnton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
- Paxtang
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Paxtang is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtang
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Clifton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Harrisburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hillside Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hillside Village is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Village
- Penbrook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Penbrook is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penbrook
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,976 people
- Edgemont
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Progress
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Progress is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Caledonia Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Caledonia Park is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia Park
- Mount Union
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Mount Union is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Billmeyer ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Billmeyer is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billmeyer
- Falmouth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Falmouth is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Maytown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Marietta
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Aberdeen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Aberdeen is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
- Elizabethtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rheems
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rheems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rheems
- Columbia
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Florin
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Florin is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florin
- Washington Borough
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Washington Borough is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Borough
- Ironville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ironville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironville
- Milton Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Milton Grove is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Grove
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Lawn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Campbelltown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Colebrook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Palmyra
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Marysville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Cove is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
- Perdix
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Perdix is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdix
- Duncannon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Falling Spring
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Falling Spring is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
- Baltimore County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Freeland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Eklo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Eklo is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
- Maryland Line
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
- Walker
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Gorsuch Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gorsuch Mills is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorsuch Mills
- Shamburg ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Shamburg is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamburg
- Trump
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Trump is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trump
- Trenton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Trenton is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Parkton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Shane
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Mount Carmel
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Carroll County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Lineboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Young Mans Fancy
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
- Roller
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Roller is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Manchester
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Reeds Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Reeds Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
- Rockbrook Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rockbrook Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook Village
- Harney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Hampstead
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Tyrone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Tyrone is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
- Fairground Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Fairground Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairground Village
- Taneytown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Frizzellburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Frizzellburg is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frizzellburg
- Frizzellburg has also been known as:
- Frizels
- Frederick County (MD)
- Emmitsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Harford County (MD)
- Shawsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Big Mountain, see our County-by-County Page for Big Mountain.
Cemeteries Near Big Mountain ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Mountain.
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 Big Mountain - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Big Mountain covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- Altland's Meeting House Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Paradise Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Cemetery
- The Paradise Cemetery has also been known as:
- Paradise Union Church Cemetery
- Paradise Holtzschwamm Lutheran Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Markey Farm Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- East Berlin Union Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- St. Paul's Red Run Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Paul's Red Run Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Paul's Red Run Church Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the west of Davidsburg.
- The St. Paul's Red Run Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Red Run Church Cemetery
- Hershey Mennonite Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Strayers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Red Mount Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wolf Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (302 more) ...
- Warrington Friends Meeting House Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mt. Olivet United Church of Christ Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Olivet United Church of Christ Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Olivet United Church of Christ Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Lake Meade.
- The Mt. Olivet United Church of Christ Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
- Lower Bermudian Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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 Big Mountain in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Mountain.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Big Mountain, with the one closest to Big Mountain listed first.
- East Berlin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Grove is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,179 people
- Davidsburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Davidsburg is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsburg
- Farmers
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Farmers is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers
- La Bott
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- La Bott is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Bott
- Roler
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Roler is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roler
- Thomasville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Abbottstown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dover
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hampton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hampton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Menges Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Menges Mills is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menges Mills
- Martin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Martin is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Bair
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bair is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bair
- Weigelstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Weigelstown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weigelstown
- Mount Royal
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Royal is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Royal
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Big Mountain. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Mountain.
Newspapers Published in Big Mountain ...
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 92 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Mountain.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Mountain, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Mountain.
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 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 Big Mountain:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to York County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Cumberland County
- Dauphin County
- Franklin County
- Lancaster County
- Lebanon County
- Perry County
- Baltimore County
- Carroll County
- Frederick County
- Harford 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' (or 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- Big Mountain) 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 Big Mountain, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |