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 Bower (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 Bower. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Bower is located in Clearfield 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 Clearfield County: Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Elk, Indiana & Jefferson.
Below are the counties that are near Bower. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bower:
- Clearfield County (The home county of Bower)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Cherry Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cherry Corner is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Corner
- Curry Run
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Curry Run is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curry Run
- Newburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Newburg is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Mahaffey
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gazzam
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gazzam is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gazzam
- Lumber City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lumber City is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City
- Estimated population in 2015: 75 people
- New Washington
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- New Washington is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Mayes
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Mayes is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayes
- Thompsontown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Thompsontown is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsontown
- Grampian
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Olanta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Burnside
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Burnside is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Curwensville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Barnards
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Barnards is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnards
- Dayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- McWilliams
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Blair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Highland Fling
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Highland Fling is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Fling
- Tipton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bellwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Grazierville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Grazierville is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grazierville
- Tyrone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Tyrone Forge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tyrone Forge is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone Forge
- Altoona
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Culp
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Culp is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culp
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Flinton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hastings
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Barnesboro
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Barnesboro is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesboro
- Thomas Mills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Thomas Mills is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Mills
- Fallentimber
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Garmantown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Garmantown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garmantown
- Northern Cambria
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Northern Cambria is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northern Cambria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,456 people
- West Branch
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- West Branch is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Branch
- Patton
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Saint Benedict
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Saint Benedict is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Benedict
- Spangler
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Spangler is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spangler
- Carrolltown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Dean
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dean is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dean
- Centre County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- New Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- New Town is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Philipsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sandy Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- South Philipsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- South Philipsburg is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Philipsburg
- Glass City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Glass City is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glass City
- North Philipsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- North Philipsburg is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Philipsburg
- Casanova
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Casanova is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casanova
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Brockport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Scattertown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Scattertown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scattertown
- Challenge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Challenge is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Challenge
- Shawmut
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Shawmut is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawmut
- Byrnedale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Horton City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Horton City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton City
- Caledonia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Caledonia is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Kylers Corners
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kylers Corners is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kylers Corners
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Birmingham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Birmingham is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
- Pennington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pennington is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Urey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Urey is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urey
- Glen Campbell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Johnsonburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Johnsonburg is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Hooverhurst
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hooverhurst is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooverhurst
- Rossiter
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Cherry Tree
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Tree is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Tree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Hillsdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Uniontown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Uniontown is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Purchase Line
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Purchase Line is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purchase Line
- Rochester Mills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Rochester Mills is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester Mills
- Savan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Savan is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savan
- Commodore
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Cookport
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Cookport is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cookport
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Winslow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Winslow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winslow
- Sykesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Albion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Albion is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Wishaw
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wishaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishaw
- Punxsutawney
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Prescottville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Prescottville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescottville
- Pancoast
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pancoast is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancoast
- Panic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Panic is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panic
- Reynoldsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Falls Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Red Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Red Mill is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mill
- Sandy Valley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sandy Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Valley
- Oliveburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Oliveburg is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliveburg
- Lawrence County
- Big Run
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Big Run is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bower, see our County-by-County Page for Bower.
Cemeteries Near Bower ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bower.
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 Bower - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bower covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Mahaffey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cross Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Watts Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- LaJose Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Zion Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Friends Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- St. Bonaventure Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sunderland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dunkard Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Williams Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Ferguson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (205 more) ...
- Snyder Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Woods Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Urey Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bower had a population of 172 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bower, with the one closest to Bower listed first.
- Curry Run
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Curry Run is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curry Run
- Ostend
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ostend is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostend
- Bells Landing
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bells Landing is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Landing
- Mahaffey
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Newburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Newburg is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Marron
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Marron is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marron
- McGees Mills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- McGees Mills is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGees Mills
- Kerrmoor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kerrmoor is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrmoor
- New Washington
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- New Washington is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Mayes
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Mayes is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayes
- Gazzam
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gazzam is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gazzam
- Lumber City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lumber City is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City
- Estimated population in 2015: 75 people
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Five Points
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Five Points is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Berwinsdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Berwinsdale is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwinsdale
- Ansonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ansonville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansonville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bower. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bower.
Newspapers Published in Bower ...
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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bower.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bower, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bower.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Bower:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Clearfield County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Blair County
- Cambria County
- Centre County
- Elk County
- Huntingdon County
- Indiana County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence 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> | 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 Bower, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bower) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |