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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 Colwyn (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 Colwyn. 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 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.

Colwyn 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 Colwyn. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Colwyn:

  • Delaware County     (The home county of Colwyn)
  • Allegheny County
    • Overbrook
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Overbrook is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overbrook
  • Bucks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn listed first.
    • Chestnut Wood Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • County Line
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • County Line is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line
    • Warminster Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Warminster Heights is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster Heights
    • Warminster Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Warminster Village is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster Village
    • Johnsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Johnsville is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsville
    • Casey Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Casey Village is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casey Village
    • Churchville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Churchville is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchville
    • Croydon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ivyland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Neshaminy ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Neshaminy is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neshaminy
    • Newportville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Bristol
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn listed first.
    • Leopard
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Strafford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitehorse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Berwyn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Devon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Lane Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Green Lane Village is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Lane Village
    • Chesterbrook
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Duffryn Mawr
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Duffryn Mawr is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffryn Mawr
    • Green Tree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Tree is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Tree
    • Paoli
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • General Warren Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lees
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lees is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees
    • Malvern
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Indiana County
    • Ernest
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Montgomery County
  • Philadelphia County
  • New Castle County (DE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn listed first.
    • Analine Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Analine Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Analine Village
    • Aniline Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Aniline Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aniline Village
    • Carpenter
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • White Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • White Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Village
    • Whites Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Whites Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whites Village
    • Claymont Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Claymont Village is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claymont Village
    • Claymont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Arden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Ardencroft
      (14 miles [22.5 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
      (14 miles [22.5 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
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Windy Bush
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bellefonte
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bellefonte is located in New Castle County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellefonte
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,166 people
  • Atlantic County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn listed first.
    • Collings Lakes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Collings Lakes is located in Atlantic County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collings Lakes
    • Hammonton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Burlington County (NJ)
  • Camden County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn listed first.
    • Brooklawn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Camden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Gloucester City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Morgan Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Morgan Village is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Village
    • Ablett Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Ablett Village is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ablett Village
    • Wood - Lynne
      (8 miles [12.9 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
    • Pennsauken
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Westmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Glendora
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Glendora is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendora
    • Cherry Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Golden Triangle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Golden Triangle is located in Camden County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Triangle
    • Delair
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Blackwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Cumberland County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn listed first.
    • Beals Mill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Pleasantville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Pleasantville is located in Cumberland County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
    • Seabrook Farms
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Seabrook Farms is located in Cumberland County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seabrook Farms
    • West Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • West Village is located in Cumberland County (NJ)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Village
    • Rosenhayn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Gloucester County (NJ)
  • Salem County (NJ)

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

Cemeteries Near Colwyn ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Colwyn.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Colwyn, with the one closest to Colwyn 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 in 1895, Colwyn had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Colwyn had a population of 2,551 people.

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

  • Academy
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Academy is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Academy
  • Darby
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Fernwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Fernwood is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernwood
  • Sharon Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Yeadon
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Bell Road ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Bell Road is located in Philadelphia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Road
  • Upper Darby
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Cardington
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Cardington is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardington
  • Collingdale
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Glenolden
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Norwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Norwood is located in Delaware County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,956 people
  • Folcroft
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Lansdowne
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Angora
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Angora is located in Philadelphia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angora
    • Burmont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Colwyn ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Colwyn.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Colwyn, there are papers which were published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Colwyn.

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 Colwyn:

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 Colwyn, 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' (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- Colwyn) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.