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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 Clifton (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 Clifton. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Clifton is located in Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna County: Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wayne & Wyoming.

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

  • Lackawanna County     (The home county of Clifton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Yostville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Yostville is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yostville
    • Spring Brook
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Brook is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Brook
    • Daleville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Lehigh
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lehigh is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehigh
    • Turnersville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Turnersville is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersville
    • Moscow
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Moscow is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,026 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <1>
    • Aberdeen
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Aberdeen is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
    • Elmhurst
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Belian Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Belian Village is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belian Village
    • Drinker
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Drinker is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drinker
    • Wimmers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Wimmers is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wimmers
    • Lawrenceville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Lawrenceville is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceville
    • Minooka
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Minooka is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minooka
  • Carbon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Albrightsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • East Side
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • East Side is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Side
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
    • Meckesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Meckesville is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meckesville
    • Leslie Run
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Leslie Run is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie Run
    • Mud Run
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mud Run is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Run
    • Unionville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Unionville is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
    • Penn Haven Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Penn Haven Junction is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Haven Junction
    • Weatherly
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jim Thorpe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jim Thorpe is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jim Thorpe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,650 people
      • Former names for Jim Thorpe:
      • East Mauch Chunk
      • Mauch Chunk
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jim Thorpe <1>
    • Jonesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jonesville is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
    • Little Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Little Gap is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Gap
    • Hudsondale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Hudsondale is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsondale
    • Beaver Meadows
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Luzerne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Stoddartsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Stoddartsville is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoddartsville
    • Langdon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Langdon is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdon
    • Bear Creek Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Avoca
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Avoca is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avoca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,603 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avoca <1>
    • Dupont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Houston City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Houston City is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston City
    • Hughestown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Hughestown is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughestown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,356 people
    • Yatesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Yatesville is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yatesville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • Laflin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Laflin is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laflin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,435 people
    • Duryea
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pittston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Penn Lake Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Penn Lake Park is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Lake Park
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
    • Exeter
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Locust Lakes Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Locust Lakes Village is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Lakes Village
    • Mount Pocono
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Tobyhanna
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Pocono Pines
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Pocono Summit
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Long Pond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Mountainhome
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Paradise Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Paradise Valley is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Valley
    • McMichael
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • McMichael is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMichael
    • Parkside
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Parkside is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkside
    • Reeders
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Appenzell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Appenzell is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appenzell
    • Gilbert
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Pen Argyl
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Arndts
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Arndts is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arndts
    • Danielsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Roseto
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Roseto is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseto
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,540 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roseto <1>
    • Slateford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Slateford is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slateford
    • Wind Gap
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bangor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bangor is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <1>
    • New Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • New Village is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Village
  • Pike County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • South Sterling
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • La Anna
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • La Anna is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Anna
    • Panther
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Panther is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
    • Ledgedale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ledgedale is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ledgedale
    • Paupack
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Blooming Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Blooming Grove is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blooming Grove
    • Tafton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilsonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilsonville is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonville
    • Lords Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Kimble
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Kimble is located in Pike County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimble
  • Susquehanna County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Forest City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Lenoxville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Lenoxville is located in Susquehanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenoxville
    • Royal
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Royal is located in Susquehanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Sterling
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hollisterville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Hollisterville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollisterville
    • Maplewood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Maplewood is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplewood
    • Tresslarville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Tresslarville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresslarville
    • South Canaan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • South Canaan is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Canaan
    • Lakeville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Uswick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Uswick is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uswick
    • Waymart
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Hawley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Keen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Keen is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keen
    • Prompton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Prompton is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prompton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 233 people
    • Honesdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Seelyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Seelyville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seelyville
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton listed first.
    • Lake Winola
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Mill City ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Mill City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill City
    • Beaumont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Beaumont is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
    • Factoryville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Osterhout
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Osterhout is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osterhout
    • South Eaton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • South Eaton is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Eaton
    • Vernon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Vernon is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Jenks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jenks is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenks
    • Dixon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Dixon is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
    • Evans Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Evans Falls is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Falls
    • Noxen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Marcy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Marcy is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcy
    • Nicholson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Clifton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Clifton.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Clifton, with the one closest to Clifton 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Clifton had a population of 46 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Spring Brook
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Spring Brook is located in Lackawanna County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Brook
  • Yostville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Yostville is located in Lackawanna County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yostville
  • Mount Pocono
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Lehigh
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lehigh is located in Lackawanna County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehigh
  • Daleville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Stoddartsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Stoddartsville is located in Luzerne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoddartsville
  • Tobyhanna
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Freytown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Freytown is located in Lackawanna County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freytown
  • Moscow
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Moscow is located in Lackawanna County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,026 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moscow <1>
  • Blakeslee
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • South Sterling
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Angels
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Angels is located in Wayne County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angels
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Madisonville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Madisonville is located in Lackawanna County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madisonville
    • Elmhurst
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Bear Creek Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Clifton ...

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 101 newspapers that have been published in the area around Clifton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Clifton, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Clifton.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Clifton:

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Clifton) 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 Clifton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.