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 Charlestown (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 Charlestown. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Charlestown is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Frederick (MD), Washington (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata & Perry.
Below are the counties that are near Charlestown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Charlestown:
- Franklin County (The home county of Charlestown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Cove Gap
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Cove Gap is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
- Dickey
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Dickey is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
- Mercersburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Markes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Markes is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markes
- Fort Loudon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Rockdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rockdale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Claylick
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Claylick is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
- Williamson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Welsh Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Saint Thomas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cowans Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Cowans Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowans Village
- Cashtown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Trust
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Jacks Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Virginia Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Carroll Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cashtown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- Fairfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Orrtanna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Breezewood
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Graceville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Graceville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceville
- Hopewell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Robinsonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Robinsonville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsonville
- Coaldale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Coaldale is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Everett
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Purcell
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Purcell is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Saxton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Langdondale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Langdondale is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdondale
- Mount Dallas
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Dallas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Dallas
- Riddlesburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Riddlesburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riddlesburg
- Marble City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Marble City is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble City
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Shippensburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Newburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Websters Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- McConnellsburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Knobsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Knobsville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
- Pleasant Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Harrisonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Covalt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Needmore
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sipes Mill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Dott
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Dott is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
- Fort Littleton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Laidig
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Laidig is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
- Burnt Cabins
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Maddensville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Maddensville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddensville
- Selea
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Selea is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selea
- Neelyton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- Shade Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Three Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Joller ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Joller is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joller
- Kimmel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kimmel is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmel
- Pogue
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Pogue is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogue
- Saltillo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Saltillo is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Robertsdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Robertsdale is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsdale
- Cooks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cooks is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks
- Rocky Ridge ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rocky Ridge is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
- Allegany County (MD)
- Little Orleans
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Sabillasville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Walk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Fairview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Clear Spring
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wilson - Conococheague
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Wilson - Conococheague is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson - Conococheague
- Maugansville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Big Pool
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Huyett
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Huyett is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
- Long Meadow
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
- Paramount - Long Meadow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
- Hancock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hagerstown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hagerstown is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,918 people
- Former name for Hagerstown:
- Hager's Town
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hagerstown <1>
- Halfway
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Halfway is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Little Georgetown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Falling Waters
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hedgesville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bedington
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
- Scrabble
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Martinsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Swan Pond
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
- Baker Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Baker Heights is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Heights
- Jefferson County (WV)
- Shepherdstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Sleepy Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
- Cherry Run
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
- Hancock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Holton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Holton is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
- Bath
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bath is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Berkeley Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Berryville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Woodmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
- Orleans Cross Roads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
- Stotlers Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stotlers Crossroads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotlers Crossroads
- Doe Gully
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Doe Gully is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Charlestown, see our County-by-County Page for Charlestown.
Cemeteries Near Charlestown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Charlestown.
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 Charlestown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Charlestown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Big Spring Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Cemetery
- The Pine Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Church of God Corners Cemetery
- Welsh Run Brethren Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wink Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Secrest Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Cushwa Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Stone Bridge Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Union Bethel Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mt. Tabor Graveyard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- German Reformed Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Reformed Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the German Reformed Cemetery is located in Greencastle.
- The German Reformed Cemetery has also been known as:
- Reformed Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2261256 <2>
- Hill Chapel Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (263 more) ...
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bethel Graveyard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Graveyard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
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 Charlestown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Charlestown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Charlestown, with the one closest to Charlestown listed first.
- Mercersburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mercersburg Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Mercersburg Junction is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercersburg Junction
- Dickey
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Dickey is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
- Lemasters
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Markes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Markes is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markes
- Fort Loudon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Websters Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- Claylick
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Claylick is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
- Rockdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rockdale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- McConnellsburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Big Cove Tannery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Big Cove Tannery is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Cove Tannery
- Welsh Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Upton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Upton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
- Williamson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Richmond Furnace
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Richmond Furnace is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Furnace
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Charlestown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Charlestown.
Newspapers Published in Charlestown ...
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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Charlestown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Charlestown, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Charlestown.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Charlestown:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Bedford County
- Cumberland County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Allegany County
- Frederick County
- Washington County
- Berkeley County
- Jefferson County
- Morgan 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> | The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MIHP (for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties). More information about the MHT and MIHP can be found on their website: mht.maryland.gov. |
| <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 Charlestown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Charlestown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |