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 Bowie (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 Bowie. 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 doctors 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.
Bowie is located in Mercer 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 Mercer County: Mahoning (OH), Trumbull (OH), Butler, Crawford, Lawrence & Venango.
Below are the counties that are near Bowie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bowie:
- Mercer County (The home county of Bowie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Jackson Center
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Perrine Corners
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Perrine Corners is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrine Corners
- Perrys Corners
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Perrys Corners is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrys Corners
- Kilgore
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Kilgore is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilgore
- Stoneboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sandy Lake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Enterprise
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Enterprise is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Coolspring
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Coolspring is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolspring
- Mercer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Swamproot
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Swamproot is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swamproot
- Millburn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Millburn is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburn
- Fredonia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Clarks Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Clarks Mills is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Mills
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Parker
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fredericksburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fredericksburg is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
- Kaylor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kaylor is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaylor
- Bradys Bend
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bradys Bend is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradys Bend
- Queenstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Queenstown is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queenstown
- Beaver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Ellwood City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Wurtemburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Wurtemburg is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurtemburg
- Frisco
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Frisco is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
- Lillyville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lillyville is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillyville
- North Sewickley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- North Sewickley is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sewickley
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Harrisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Forestville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Forestville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Slippery Rock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Murrinsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Murrinsville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murrinsville
- Bovard
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bovard is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bovard
- Branchton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Branchton is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchton
- Ferris
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ferris is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferris
- Hallston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hallston is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallston
- West Liberty
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- West Liberty is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Cherry Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cherry Valley is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
- Eau Claire
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- West Sunbury
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hooker
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hooker is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Foxburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Lamartine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lamartine is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamartine
- Saint Petersburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Alum Rock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alum Rock is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Rock
- Turkey City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Turkey City is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey City
- Monroe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Monroe is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- West Freedom
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- West Freedom is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Freedom
- Beaver City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Beaver City is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver City
- Jefferson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Jefferson is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Callensburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Callensburg is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callensburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
- Knox
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wentlings Corners
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wentlings Corners is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wentlings Corners
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Cochranton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Deckard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Deckard is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckard
- Atlantic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Atlantic is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic
- Geneva
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Geneva is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Adamsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Adamsville is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Frenchtown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Frenchtown is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
- Hartstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hartstown is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartstown
- Kerrtown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Kerrtown is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrtown
- Black Ash
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Black Ash is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Ash
- Conneaut Lake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pymatuning South
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pymatuning South is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pymatuning South
- Turner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Turner is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
- Turnersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Turnersville is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersville
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Volant
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Wilmington
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Harlansburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Harlansburg is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlansburg
- Grant City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Grant City is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant City
- McCaslin
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- McCaslin is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCaslin
- Nashua
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Nashua is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
- Pulaski
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pulaski is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulaski
- Rose Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Rose Point is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Point
- Altman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Altman is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altman
- New Castle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oakwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Oakwood is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- West New Castle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- West New Castle is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West New Castle
- Mahoningtown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mahoningtown is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahoningtown
- Venango County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Henderson Station
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henderson Station is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Station
- Barkeyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pearl
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Pearl is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl
- Bullion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Bullion is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
- Nectarine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Nectarine is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectarine
- Polk
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Polk is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
- Clintonville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Utica
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Utica is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Coal City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Coal City is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Nicklin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Nicklin is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicklin
- Eakin Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Eakin Corner is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eakin Corner
- Saint George
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Saint George is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Sugarcreek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sugarcreek is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugarcreek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,868 people
- York County
- Adamsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Adamsville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Ashtabula County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Simons
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Simons is located in Ashtabula County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons
- Stanhope
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Stanhope is located in Ashtabula County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
- Mahoning County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Lowellville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Campbell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelton is located in Mahoning County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Struthers
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Poland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Youngstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Trumbull County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Five Points
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Five Points is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- West Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- West Hill is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hill
- Masury
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Orangeville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Orangeville is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Weldon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Weldon is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
- Brookfield Center
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Brookfield Center is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Center
- Hartford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Hartford is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Hubbard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Yankee Lake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Yankee Lake is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
- Superior ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Superior is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
- Burghill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Coalburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Coalburg is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg
- Vernon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Vernon is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bowie, see our County-by-County Page for Bowie.
Cemeteries Near Bowie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bowie.
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 Bowie - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bowie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Carroll Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Union Home Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Zahniser Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hendersonville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bethany Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Old Cool Spring Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Yankee Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Oak Hill Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Sandy Lake.
- The Oak Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Sandy Lake Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45647 <2>
- Findley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Courtney Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (265 more) ...
- Woodland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Beloved Disciple Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Centenary 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.<3>
While we didn't find Bowie in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bowie.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bowie, with the one closest to Bowie listed first.
- Jackson Center
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Millbrook
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Millbrook is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Pardoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pardoe is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pardoe
- Centertown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Centertown is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centertown
- Turner
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Turner is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
- North Mills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- North Mills is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Mills
- Stoneboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kilgore
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Kilgore is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilgore
- Oakland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oakland is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Sandy Lake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mercer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hope Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hope Mills is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Mills
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Wesley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Wesley is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Millburn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Millburn is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburn
- London
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- London is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bowie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bowie.
Newspapers Published in Bowie ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bowie.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bowie, 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 Bowie.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Bowie:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Mercer County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Beaver County
- Butler County
- Clarion County
- Crawford County
- Lawrence County
- Venango County
- York County
- Ashtabula County
- Mahoning County
- Trumbull 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 Bowie, 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' (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- Bowie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |