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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 (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. 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 and 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.

Central is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill & Sullivan.

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Central)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Jamison City
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Jamison City is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamison City
    • Waller
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Waller is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waller
    • Benton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jackson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jackson is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
    • Coles Mill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Coles Mill is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Mill
    • Stillwater
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Rohrsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Rohrsburg is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rohrsburg
    • Zaner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Zaner is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zaner
    • Jonestown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jonestown is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
    • Greenwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenwood is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Iola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Iola is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iola
    • Welliversville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Welliversville is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welliversville
    • Millville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Bradford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Laddsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Laddsburg is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laddsburg
    • Overton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Overton is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
    • Wilmot
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Wilmot is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
    • New Albany
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Evergreen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Evergreen is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
    • New Era
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • New Era is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
    • Sugar Run
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Marshview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Marshview is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshview
    • Wyalusing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Long Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Long Valley is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Valley
    • Homets Ferry
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Homets Ferry is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homets Ferry
    • Asylum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Asylum is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asylum
    • Franklindale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Franklindale is located in Bradford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklindale
  • Luzerne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Red Rock
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Red Rock is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
    • Fairmount Springs
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairmount Springs is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount Springs
    • Mossville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Mossville is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossville
    • Clarks View
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Clarks View is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks View
    • Rittenhouse
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Rittenhouse is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rittenhouse
    • Ricketts ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Ricketts is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricketts
    • Harveyville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Harveyville is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveyville
    • Pleasant Valley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pleasant Valley is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Register
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Register is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Register
    • Bloomingdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bloomingdale is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
    • New Columbus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
    • Huntington Mills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Waterton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Waterton is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterton
  • Lycoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Richarts Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Richarts Grove is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richarts Grove
    • Lungerville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Lungerville is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lungerville
    • Unityville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Biggerstown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Biggerstown is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggerstown
    • Beaver Lake
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Beaver Lake is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Lake
    • Lairdsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Lairdsville is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lairdsville
    • Muncy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Muncy is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
    • Muncy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Muncy is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Muncy <1>
    • Proctor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Proctor is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Wallis Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Wallis Run is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallis Run
    • Ellenton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ellenton is located in Lycoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellenton
    • Montgomery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Montoursville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Montour County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Exchange
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Exchange is located in Montour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exchange
    • Washingtonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Washingtonville is located in Montour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
    • Mechanicsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Mechanicsville is located in Montour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
    • Danville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mooresburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mooresburg is located in Montour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Turbotville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • McEwensville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Riverside
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Chulasky
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Chulasky is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulasky
    • Dewart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Rushtown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Rushtown is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushtown
    • Watsontown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Potts Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Schuylkill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Nuremberg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Zion Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Ferndale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Ferndale is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferndale
    • Oneida
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Oneida is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
    • Sheppton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Long Brook
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Long Brook is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Brook
    • Laporte
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Sonestown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bernice
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Bernice is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernice
    • Beech Glen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Beech Glen is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
    • Shinerville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Shinerville is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shinerville
    • Eagles Mere
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Dushore
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Forksville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Millview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Millview is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millview
    • Ogdonia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Ogdonia is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogdonia
    • Hillsgrove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lincoln Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Lincoln Falls is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Falls
  • Union County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Central, with the one closest to Central listed first.
    • Noxen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Forkston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Forkston is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkston
    • Mill City ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Mill City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill City
    • Beaumont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Beaumont is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
    • Evans Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Evans Falls is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Falls
    • Stowell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Stowell is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stowell
    • Jenks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jenks is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenks
    • Jenningsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jenningsville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenningsville
    • Vernon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Vernon is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Mehoopany Station
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mehoopany Station is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehoopany Station
    • Laceyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Skinners Eddy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Skinners Eddy is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skinners Eddy
    • Vosburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Vosburg is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vosburg

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

Cemeteries Near Central ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Central.

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 - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Gabriel Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Boston Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Raven Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Jackson Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Belles Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Goss Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goss Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Goss Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northwest of Huntington Mills.
    • The Goss Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Harveyville Cemetery
    • Trescott Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2186549 <2>
  • Lateer Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Broadway Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Pine Center UMC Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (172 more) ...
    • Rohrsburg Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Graveyard Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Moore Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Central had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Jamison City
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jamison City is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamison City
  • Elk Grove
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Elk Grove is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Grove
  • Laubach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Laubach is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laubach
  • Coles Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Coles Creek is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Creek
  • Red Rock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Red Rock is located in Luzerne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
  • Waller
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Waller is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waller
  • Benton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Clarks View
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarks View is located in Luzerne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks View
  • Ripple ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Ripple is located in Luzerne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripple
  • Cambra
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Rittenhouse
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Rittenhouse is located in Luzerne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rittenhouse
  • Nordmont
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Nordmont is located in Sullivan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nordmont
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Long Brook
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Long Brook is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Brook
    • Unityville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Derrs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Derrs is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derrs

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

Newspapers Published in Central ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Central.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Central, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Central.

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 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:

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 from Point A (ie- Central) 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 Central, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.