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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 Central Highlands (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 Central Highlands. 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.

Central Highlands is located in Allegheny 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 Allegheny County: Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington & Westmoreland.

Below are the counties that are near Central Highlands. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Central Highlands:

  • Allegheny County     (The home county of Central Highlands)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Buena Vista
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Buena Vista is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Boston
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Versailles
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Versailles is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,452 people
    • Lincoln
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lincoln is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
    • Liberty
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Liberty is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,438 people
    • Clairton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mendelssohn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mendelssohn is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendelssohn
    • Elizabeth
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • West Elizabeth
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • White Oak
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Coal Valley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Coal Valley is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
    • Glassport
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Port Vue
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Port Vue is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Vue
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,623 people
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Edmon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Edmon is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmon
    • Apollo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apollo <1>
    • North Apollo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Orchard Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Orchard Hills is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
    • Leechburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Freeport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Spring Church
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Aladdin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Aladdin is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aladdin
    • Olivet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Olivet is located in Armstrong County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
  • Beaver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • South Heights
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • South Heights is located in Beaver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 437 people
    • Ambridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gringo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Gringo is located in Beaver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gringo
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Valencia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Ekastown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Ekastown is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekastown
    • Mars
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Mars is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mars
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,608 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mars <1>
    • Monroe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Monroe is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
    • Seven Fields
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Seven Fields is located in Butler County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Fields
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,740 people
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Arnold City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Arnold City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold City
    • Belle Vernon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Fairhope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Fairhope is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhope
    • Lynnwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Lynnwood is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
    • Banning
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Banning is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banning
    • Brownstown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Brownstown is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
    • Fayette City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Fayette City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
    • Whitsett
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Whitsett is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitsett
    • Fuller
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Fuller is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
    • Lynn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Lynn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
    • Perryopolis
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Redstone
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Redstone is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
    • Kenneth
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Kenneth is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneth
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Clarksville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Rices Landing
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Chartiers
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Chartiers is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartiers
    • Stringtown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Stringtown is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
    • Cumberland Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
    • Jefferson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jefferson is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
    • Carmichaels
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Fairdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Fairdale is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Nemacolin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Nemacolin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
    • Lippincott
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Lippincott is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lippincott
    • Khedive
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Khedive is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
    • Ceylon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Ceylon is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
    • West Union
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • West Union is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
  • Indiana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • White
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • White is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
    • Bow
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bow is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow
    • Clarksburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Black Diamond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Black Diamond is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
    • Ellsworth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Ellsworth is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
    • Donora
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Donora is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donora <1>
    • Monongahela
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • New Eagle
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Riverview
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Riverview is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
    • Gastonville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Gastonville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonville
    • Baidland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Baidland is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
    • North Charleroi
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • North Charleroi is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Charleroi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
    • Finleyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Charleroi
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sudan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sudan is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudan
    • Dunlevy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.
    • Shaner
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Shaner is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaner
    • Blackburn ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Blackburn is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
    • Sutersville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rillton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • West Newton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Herminie
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Webster
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Webster is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
    • Irwin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Irwin is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,716 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irwin <1>
    • Larimer
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Larimer is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larimer
    • North Irwin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • North Irwin is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Irwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 780 people
    • Madison
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Shafton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shafton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shafton
    • Monessen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Central Highlands, see our County-by-County Page for Central Highlands.

Cemeteries Near Central Highlands ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Central Highlands.

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 Central Highlands - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Central Highlands covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.

  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Round Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Dravo Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Weaver & Waddell Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Guffey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Rippel Road Jewish Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • St. Clares Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Old Quaker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Calvary Slovak Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Slovak Cemetery
    • The Calvary Slovak Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Calvary Cemetery
    • Holy Trinity Slovak Cemetery
    • Port Vue Polish Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2329388 <3>
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sacred Heart Cemetery
    • The Sacred Heart Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Sacred Heart Church Cemetery
  • St. Patrick's Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (443 more) ...
    • Lobbs Run Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • St. Josephs Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Fairview Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)

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 Central Highlands in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Central Highlands.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Central Highlands, with the one closest to Central Highlands listed first.

  • Buena Vista
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Buena Vista is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
  • Douglass
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Douglass is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass
  • Blythedale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Blythedale is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blythedale
  • Scott Haven
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Scott Haven is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Haven
  • Shaner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Shaner is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaner
  • Alpsville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Alpsville is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpsville
  • Greenock
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Greenock is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenock
  • Boston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Belle Bridge
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Belle Bridge is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle Bridge
  • Wylie
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Wylie is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylie
  • Hilldale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hilldale is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
  • Sutersville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Blackburn ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Blackburn is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
    • Yohoghany
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Yohoghany is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yohoghany
    • Guffey
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Guffey is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guffey

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Central Highlands. See our List of 1890's Communities around Central Highlands.

Newspapers Published in Central Highlands ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Central Highlands.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Central Highlands, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Central Highlands.

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 Central Highlands:

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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Central Highlands) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Central Highlands, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.