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 Cracker Jack (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 Cracker Jack. 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.
Cracker Jack is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Westmoreland, Brooke (WV), Hancock (WV), Marshall (WV) & Ohio (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Cracker Jack. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cracker Jack:
- Washington County (The home county of Cracker Jack)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Sudan
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sudan is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudan
- Baidland
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Baidland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
- New Eagle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- North Charleroi
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- North Charleroi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Charleroi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
- Black Diamond
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Black Diamond is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
- Monongahela
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Riverview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Riverview is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Lover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lover is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lover
- Charleroi
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Donora
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ellsworth
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ellsworth is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- Dunlevy
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Sunny Side
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
- Cochrans Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cochrans Mill is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrans Mill
- Jefferson Hills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Jefferson Hills is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,136 people
- Jefferson Hills has also been known as:
- Jefferson
- Library
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Elizabeth
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- West Elizabeth
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Clairton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Coal Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Coal Valley is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Mendelssohn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mendelssohn is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendelssohn
- Bethel Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Glassport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Buena Vista is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Belle Vernon
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairhope
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fairhope is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhope
- Lynnwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lynnwood is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
- Newell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Newell is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
- Arnold City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Arnold City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold City
- Brownstown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Brownstown is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
- Chamouni
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Chamouni is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamouni
- Fayette City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fayette City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
- Kenneth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Kenneth is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneth
- Brownsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Redstone
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Redstone is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Alicia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Alicia is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alicia
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Chartiers
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Chartiers is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartiers
- Clarksville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Rices Landing
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Jefferson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Jefferson is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
- Stringtown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Stringtown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Lippincott
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lippincott is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lippincott
- Carmichaels
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Cumberland Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Fairdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Fairdale is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Khedive
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Khedive is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
- West Union
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- West Union is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Nemacolin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Monessen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Gibsonton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
- North Belle Vernon
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- North Belle Vernon is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Belle Vernon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,842 people
- Webster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Webster is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Sutersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Newton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Smithton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Blackburn ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Blackburn is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Shaner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shaner is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaner
- Wyano
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Wyano is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyano
- Herminie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rillton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ohio County (WV)
- Potomac
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Potomac is located in Ohio County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cracker Jack, see our County-by-County Page for Cracker Jack.
Cemeteries Near Cracker Jack ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cracker Jack.
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 Cracker Jack - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cracker Jack covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Horseshoe Bend Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Calvary Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Monongahela Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Charleroi Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ohar Sholom Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Calvary Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Grandview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Holy Name Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Hyacinth Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (437 more) ...
- Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Domanick Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
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>
While we didn't find Cracker Jack in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Cracker Jack.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cracker Jack, with the one closest to Cracker Jack listed first.
- Baidland
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Baidland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
- New Eagle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Lover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lover is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lover
- Charleroi
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Black Diamond
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Black Diamond is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
- Manown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Manown is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manown
- Riverview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Riverview is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Monongahela
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Elkhorn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Elkhorn is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Courtney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Courtney is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courtney
- Gibsonton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
- Sunny Side
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Bunola
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bunola is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunola
- Wallace
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wallace is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
- Huston Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Huston Run is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huston Run
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cracker Jack. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cracker Jack.
Newspapers Published in Cracker Jack ...
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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cracker Jack.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cracker Jack, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cracker Jack.
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 Cracker Jack:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Westmoreland County
- Ohio County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
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 Cracker Jack, 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- Cracker Jack) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |