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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 Cochrans Mills (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 Cochrans Mills. 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 Cochrans Mills ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Cochrans Mills: Cochrans Mls. (or less commonly used: Cochrans Mlls.)

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.

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 doctors and 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.

Cochrans Mills is located in Armstrong County.

To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Armstrong County: Allegheny, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson & Westmoreland.

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

  • Armstrong County     (The home county of Cochrans Mills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cochrans Mills, with the one closest to Cochrans Mills listed first.
    • Spring Church
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Whitesburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Neale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Neale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neale
      • Neale is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Neale
      • From Cochrans Mills to Neale
    • Elderton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elderton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderton
      • Elderton is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elderton <1>
    • Olivet
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • North Apollo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Apollo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Apollo
      • North Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Apollo <1>
    • Orchard Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Orchard Hills is located in Armstrong County
    • Ford City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ford City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ford City
      • Ford City is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ford City <1>
    • Ford Cliff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ford Cliff came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ford Cliff
      • Ford Cliff is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
    • Lenape Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lenape Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenape Heights
      • Lenape Heights is located in Armstrong County
    • Rosston
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rosston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosston
      • Rosston is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rosston
      • From Cochrans Mills to Rosston
    • Leechburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Allegheny County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cochrans Mills, with the one closest to Cochrans Mills listed first.
    • Sligo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sligo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sligo
      • Sligo is located in Allegheny County
    • Karns
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Karns. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karns
      • Karns is located in Allegheny County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Karns
      • From Cochrans Mills to Karns
    • Natrona
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Brackenridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brackenridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brackenridge
      • Brackenridge is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brackenridge <1>
    • Tarentum
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Cheswick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheswick have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheswick
      • Cheswick is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,662 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cheswick <1>
    • Harwick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Leechburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • New Texas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Plum
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plum have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum
      • Plum is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,993 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plum <1>
    • Springdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Springdale is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springdale <1>
    • Culmerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Butler County
  • Clarion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cochrans Mills, with the one closest to Cochrans Mills listed first.
    • East Brady
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Brady have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brady
      • East Brady is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 904 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Brady <1>
    • Lawsonham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Phillipston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • New Bethlehem
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Catfish
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Catfish. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
      • Catfish is located in Clarion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Catfish
      • From Cochrans Mills to Catfish
    • Fairmont City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Leatherwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Rimersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rimersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimersburg
      • Rimersburg is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 878 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rimersburg <1>
    • Hawthorn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawthorn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawthorn
      • Hawthorn is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 456 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawthorn <1>
    • Piolett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Piolett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piolett
      • Piolett is located in Clarion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Piolett
      • From Cochrans Mills to Piolett
    • Bela
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bela. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bela
      • Bela is located in Clarion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bela
      • From Cochrans Mills to Bela
    • Brinkerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Indiana County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cochrans Mills, with the one closest to Cochrans Mills listed first.
    • Langville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Timblin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timblin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
      • Timblin is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Worthville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pansy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cochrans Mills, with the one closest to Cochrans Mills listed first.
    • East Vandergrift
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Vandergrift have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Vandergrift
      • East Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 631 people
    • Vandergrift
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandergrift have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandergrift
      • Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,832 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vandergrift <1>
    • Hyde Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hyde Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde Park
      • Hyde Park is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hyde Park <1>
    • Oklahoma
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oklahoma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklahoma
      • Oklahoma is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 739 people
    • West Leechburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Leechburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leechburg
      • West Leechburg is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
    • Avonmore
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Weinel Crossroads
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bagdad
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bagdad. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagdad
      • Bagdad is located in Westmoreland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bagdad
      • From Cochrans Mills to Bagdad
    • Salina
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Slickville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slickville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slickville
      • Slickville is located in Westmoreland County
    • Lower Burrell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lower Burrell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Burrell
      • Lower Burrell is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,997 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lower Burrell <1>
    • Arnold
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,790 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arnold <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Cochrans Mills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cochrans Mills.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cochrans Mills, with the one closest to Cochrans Mills 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cochrans Mills had a population of 283 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Brick Church
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brick Church have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brick Church
    • Brick Church is located in Armstrong County
  • Girty
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Girty have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girty
    • Girty is located in Armstrong County
  • Top
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Top have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Top
    • Top is located in Armstrong County
  • Tunnelville ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnelville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnelville
    • Tunnelville is located in Armstrong County
  • Dime
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dime have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dime
    • Dime is located in Armstrong County
  • Spring Church
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Shady Plain
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shady Plain have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Plain
    • Shady Plain is located in Armstrong County
  • South Bend
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bend
    • South Bend is located in Armstrong County
  • Whitesburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Neale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Neale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neale
    • Neale is located in Armstrong County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Neale
    • From Cochrans Mills to Neale
  • Olivet
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Elderton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elderton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderton
    • Elderton is located in Armstrong County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elderton <1>
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Blanket Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanket Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanket Hill
      • Blanket Hill is located in Armstrong County
    • Leechburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Vandergrift
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vandergrift have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandergrift
      • Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,832 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vandergrift <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Cochrans Mills ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cochrans Mills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cochrans Mills, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cochrans Mills.

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 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 Cochrans Mills:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Cochrans Mills. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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.
<6>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 Cochrans Mills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cochrans Mills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cochrans Mills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.6695, Longitude: -79.4577       In this case, the coordinates for Cochrans Mills have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025