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 Briarwood (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 Briarwood. 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.
Briarwood is located in Berks 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 Berks County: Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery & Schuylkill.
Below are the counties that are near Briarwood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Briarwood:
- Berks County (The home county of Briarwood)
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Geigertown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Geigertown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geigertown
- Kenneys
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Kenneys is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneys
- Joanna
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Joanna is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joanna
- Scarlets Mill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Scarlets Mill is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarlets Mill
- New Morgan
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- New Morgan is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Morgan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
- Plowville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Plowville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plowville
- Morgantown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Beckersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Beckersville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckersville
- Birdsboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Gibraltar
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Gibraltar is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibraltar
- Robeson Crossing
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Robeson Crossing is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robeson Crossing
- Bally
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Monocacy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Monocacy is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monocacy
- Bucks County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Argus
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Argus is located in Bucks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argus
- Milford Square
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Milford Square is located in Bucks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford Square
- Steinsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Steinsburg is located in Bucks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steinsburg
- Trumbauersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Derstines
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Derstines is located in Bucks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derstines
- Rich Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rich Hill is located in Bucks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Hill
- Sellersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Elverson
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Isabella
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Isabella is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabella
- Loag
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Loag is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loag
- Cupola
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cupola is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cupola
- Dampman
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dampman is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dampman
- Knauertown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Knauertown is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knauertown
- Suplee
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Suplee is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suplee
- Birdell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Birdell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdell
- Rockville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Rockville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Honey Brook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Coventryville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Coventryville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventryville
- Cornog
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cornog is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornog
- Cambridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cambridge is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Delaware County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Edgemont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Edgemont is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgemont
- Saint Davids
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Glen Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ithan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ithan is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ithan
- Radnor Station
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Radnor Station is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radnor Station
- Radnor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Wayne
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Green Countrie Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Chester Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lima
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lima is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
- Marple
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Marple is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marple
- Aston Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Aston Mills is located in Delaware County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aston Mills
- Broomall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Indiana County
- Ernest
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ernest is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Churchtown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Beartown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Beartown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
- East Earl
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Blue Ball
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Meadville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Meadville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadville
- Terre Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Weaverland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Weaverland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaverland
- Red Run
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Red Run is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Run
- New Holland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hinkletown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Hinkletown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinkletown
- Reamstown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Buyerstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Buyerstown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buyerstown
- Denver
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Newmanstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stricklerstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stricklerstown is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stricklerstown
- Sheridan
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Sheridan is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Richland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Schaefferstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Johnstown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Johnstown is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Myerstown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Prescott
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Prescott is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
- Miners Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Miners Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miners Village
- Avon Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Avon Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon Heights
- Avon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Avon is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Burd Coleman Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Burd Coleman Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burd Coleman Village
- Cornwall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lehigh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Alburtis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hensingersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hensingersville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hensingersville
- Powder Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Powder Valley is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powder Valley
- Hosensack
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hosensack is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hosensack
- Old Zionsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Old Zionsville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Zionsville
- New Smithville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- New Smithville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Smithville
- Dillingerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dillingerville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillingerville
- Dillingerville has also been known as:
- Dillinger
- Dillingers Ville
- Dillingers
- Dillingersville
- Stahlers
- Macungie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Zionsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wallner ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Wallner is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallner
- Ancient Oaks
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ancient Oaks is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ancient Oaks
- Hynemansville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hynemansville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hynemansville
- Seipstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Seipstown is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seipstown
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Bramcote
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bramcote is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramcote
- West Pottsgrove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Pottsgrove is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pottsgrove
- Stowe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pottstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Halfway House
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Halfway House is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway House
- Sanatoga
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Pottsgrove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pottsgrove is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsgrove
- Gilbertsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- New Hanover
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Royersford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Fagleysville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fagleysville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fagleysville
- Limerick
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Congo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Congo is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congo
- Schuylkill County
- Port Clinton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- New Castle County (DE)
- The following are listed by their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Yorklyn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Centreville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ashland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ashland is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Hockessin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Southwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Southwood is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southwood
- Vintage Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Vintage Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vintage Village
- Cokesbury Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Cokesbury Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury Village
- Mount Cuba
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mount Cuba is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cuba
- York Towne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- York Towne is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Towne
- Winterthur
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mendenhall Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Mendenhall Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendenhall Village
- Greenville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Montchanin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Briarwood, see our County-by-County Page for Briarwood.
Cemeteries Near Briarwood ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Briarwood.
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 Briarwood - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Briarwood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- St. James Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Springfield Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Elverson Methodist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Pauls UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Conestoga Mennonite Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Caernarvon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Thomas Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Morningside Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mast Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Robeson Lutheran Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robeson Lutheran Church Cemetery
- The Robeson Lutheran Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Plow Church Cemetery
- Robeson Cemetery
- Friedens Bible Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens Bible Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Friedens Bible Church Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the west of Birdsboro.
- The Friedens Bible Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Friedens Cemetery
- Wicklein Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2343568 <2>
- Continue List (372 more) ...
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Churchtown UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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 Briarwood in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Briarwood.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Briarwood, with the one closest to Briarwood listed first.
- Joanna Heights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Joanna Heights is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joanna Heights
- Joanna
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Joanna is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joanna
- Kenneys
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Kenneys is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneys
- Cold Run
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cold Run is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Run
- Geigertown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Geigertown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geigertown
- Scarlets Mill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Scarlets Mill is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarlets Mill
- Morgantown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Conestoga
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Conestoga is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conestoga
- Fontaine
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fontaine is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontaine
- Isabella
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Isabella is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabella
- Loag
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Loag is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loag
- Trythall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Trythall is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trythall
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Beckersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Beckersville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckersville
- Dampman
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dampman is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dampman
- Cupola
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cupola is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cupola
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Briarwood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Briarwood.
Newspapers Published in Briarwood ...
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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Briarwood.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Briarwood, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Briarwood.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Briarwood:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Berks County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bucks County
- Chester County
- Delaware County
- Indiana County
- Lancaster County
- Lebanon County
- Lehigh County
- Montgomery County
- Schuylkill County
- New Castle 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Briarwood) 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 Briarwood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |