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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 Confluence (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 Confluence. 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 and doctors 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.

Confluence is located in Somerset 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 Somerset County: Allegany (MD), Garrett (MD), Bedford, Cambria, Fayette & Westmoreland.

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

  • Somerset County     (The home county of Confluence)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Draketown
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Draketown is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
    • Addison
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Ursina
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Ursina is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
    • Listonburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Listonburg is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
    • Markleton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Casselman
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Casselman is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casselman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • New Lexington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • New Lexington is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
    • New Centerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • New Centerville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Centerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
    • Rockwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Coal Run
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Coal Run is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run
    • Summit Mills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Summit Mills is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Mills
    • West Salisbury
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • West Salisbury is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salisbury
    • Boynton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Boynton is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Markleysburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ohiopyle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Farmington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Mount Washington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Mount Washington is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
    • Indian Head
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Indian Head is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head
    • Elliottsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Elliottsville is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsville
    • Seven Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Dunbar
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lemont Furnace
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Independence
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Independence is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Independence
    • South Connellsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Champion
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Connellsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Greensboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Dilliner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Dilliner is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
    • Nemacolin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Nemacolin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Donegal
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Stahlstown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Iron Bridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Iron Bridge is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Bridge
    • Scottdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • West Overton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • West Overton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Overton
    • Mount Joy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Mount Joy is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Joy
    • Hawkeye
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hawkeye is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
    • Alverton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Alverton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alverton
    • Mount Pleasant
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Kecksburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Kecksburg is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kecksburg
    • Rector
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Calumet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Laughlintown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Allegany County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Midlothian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Midlothian is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midlothian
    • Zihlman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Zihlman is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zihlman
    • Borden Shaft
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Borden Shaft is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Shaft
    • Frostburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Klondike
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Klondike is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
    • Woodland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodland is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
    • Mount Savage
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Barton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Barton is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
    • Eckhart Mines
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Eckhart Mines is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckhart Mines
    • Gilmore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gilmore is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
    • Lonaconing
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Midland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Midland is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
    • Moscow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Moscow is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
  • Garrett County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Friendsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Accident
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Grantsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bittinger
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • McHenry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Avilton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Avilton is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
    • Swanton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Altamont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
    • Deer Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Oakland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Oakland is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,803 people
    • Bloomington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bloomington is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
    • Hutton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
    • Loch Lynn Heights
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Loch Lynn Heights is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loch Lynn Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
  • Mineral County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Piedmont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Windom ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Windom is located in Mineral County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
    • Shaw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Shaw is located in Mineral County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
    • Harrison
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Harrison is located in Mineral County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
  • Monongalia County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Cheat Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
    • Canyon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Canyon is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
  • Preston County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Confluence, with the one closest to Confluence listed first.
    • Hazelton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Clifton Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Clifton Mills is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Mills
    • Brandonville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Brandonville is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Bruceton Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Sandy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Little Sandy is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sandy
    • Morgans Glade
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Morgans Glade is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
    • Orr
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Orr is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
    • Lenox
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lenox is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
    • Rockville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Rockville is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
    • Albright
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Terra Alta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Kingwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Kingwood is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,047 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kingwood <1>
    • Masontown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Confluence ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Confluence.

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

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

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

  • Crossroads Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Ursina Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Old Jersey Church Turkeyfoot Baptist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Younkin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Turney Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Sands Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Great Crossings Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Scarlet Knob Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Imel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Asher Glade Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Sugar Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Sugar Grove Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northeast of Ohiopyle.
    • The Sugar Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Maple Grove Cemetery
    • Ohiopyle Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45346 <2>
  • Continue List   (245 more) ...

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 Confluence had a population of 444 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Confluence had a population of 722 people.

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

  • Harnedsville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Harnedsville is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harnedsville
  • Draketown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Draketown is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
  • Dumas
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dumas is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumas
  • Somerfield
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Somerfield is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerfield
  • Ursina
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Ursina is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
  • Addison
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Listonburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Listonburg is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
  • Fort Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Markleysburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pinkerton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pinkerton is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinkerton
  • Mineral Spring
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Mineral Spring is located in Garrett County (MD)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Spring
  • Markleton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Kingwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Kingwood is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingwood
    • Selbysport
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Selbysport is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selbysport
    • Savage
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Savage is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savage

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Confluence ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Confluence.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Confluence. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Confluence and those printed in the larger area surrounding Confluence.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3> of Confluence.

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 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 Confluence:

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