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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 Chester (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 Chester. 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.

Name Variations for Chester ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

In past government published Postal Guides, Chester was referred to as Chester Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Chester. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Chester.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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.

Chester is located in Delaware 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 Delaware County: New Castle (DE), Gloucester (NJ), Chester, Montgomery & Philadelphia.

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

  • Delaware County     (The home county of Chester)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Eddystone
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Baldwin
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Baldwin is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
    • Parkside
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Parkside is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,327 people
    • Upland
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Wallingford
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Woodlyn
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Ridley Park
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Bridgewater
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bridgewater is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
    • Brookhaven
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Garden City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Garden City is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Putman Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Putman Village is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putman Village
    • Trainer
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Trainer is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trainer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,823 people
  • Allegheny County
    • Overbrook
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Overbrook is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overbrook
  • Bucks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Chestnut Wood Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • County Line
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • County Line is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line
    • Warminster Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Warminster Heights is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster Heights
    • Warminster Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Warminster Village is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster Village
    • Casey Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Casey Village is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casey Village
    • Ivyland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Johnsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Johnsville is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
    • Churchville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Churchville is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchville
    • Croydon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Neshaminy ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Neshaminy is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshaminy
    • Newportville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Green Lane Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Lane Village is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lane Village
    • Whitehorse
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Leopard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Brookfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Coventry Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Coventry Village is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventry Village
    • Birmingham
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Birmingham is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
    • Norway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Seal
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Berwyn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Devon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Duffryn Mawr
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Duffryn Mawr is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffryn Mawr
    • Green Tree
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Tree is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
  • Indiana County
    • Ernest
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Montgomery County
  • Philadelphia County
  • New Castle County (DE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Analine Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Analine Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Analine Village
    • Aniline Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Aniline Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aniline Village
    • White Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • White Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Village
    • Whites Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Whites Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Village
    • Claymont Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Claymont Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claymont Village
    • Claymont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Carpenter
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Ardencroft
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ardencroft is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardencroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 218 people
    • Ardentown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ardentown is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardentown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
    • Holly Oak
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Windy Bush
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Arden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Arden is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 436 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arden <1>
  • Cecil County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Appleton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Barksdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Barksdale is located in Cecil County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barksdale
    • Iron Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • West Creek Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • West Creek Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Creek Village
    • Winding Brook Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Winding Brook Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winding Brook Village
    • Bank ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Bank is located in Cecil County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bank
    • Delancy Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Delancy Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delancy Village
    • Elk Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Andora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cherry Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fair Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Old Line Village of Fair Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Atlantic County (NJ)
    • Collings Lakes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Collings Lakes is located in Atlantic County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collings Lakes
  • Burlington County (NJ)
  • Camden County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chester, with the one closest to Chester listed first.
    • Brooklawn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Gloucester City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Morgan Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Morgan Village is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Village
    • Camden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Glendora
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Glendora is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendora
    • Wood - Lynne
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Wood - Lynne is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood - Lynne
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,907 people
    • Blackwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Ablett Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ablett Village is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ablett Village
    • Westmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Golden Triangle
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Golden Triangle is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Triangle
    • Tyndall Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Tyndall Village is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyndall Village
    • Pennsauken
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Cumberland County (NJ)
  • Gloucester County (NJ)
  • Salem County (NJ)

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

Cemeteries Near Chester ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chester.

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 Chester - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Chester had a population of 20,226 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Chester had a population of 33,692 people.

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

  • Eddystone
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • South Chester
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • South Chester is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Chester
  • Fairview
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Fairview is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
  • Upland
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Trainer
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Trainer is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trainer
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,823 people
  • Crum Lynne
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Ridley Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Bridgewater
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridgewater is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
  • Wallingford
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Twin Oaks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Twin Oaks is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Oaks
  • Prospect
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Prospect is located in Gloucester County (NJ)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect
  • Bridgeport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Cooper
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Moore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Moore is located in Delaware County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moore
    • Folsom
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chester ...

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 47 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chester.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chester. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chester and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chester.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> of Chester.

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 Chester:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Chester, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Chester) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.