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 Cross Keys (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 Cross Keys. 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 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.
Cross Keys is located in Adams 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 Adams County: Carroll (MD), Frederick (MD), Cumberland, Franklin & York.
Below are the counties that are near Cross Keys. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cross Keys:
- Adams County (The home county of Cross Keys)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- New Oxford
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Abbottstown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Edgegrove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- Brush Run
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brush Run is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Run
- Hampton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hampton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Newchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newchester is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newchester
- McSherrystown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Midway
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Midway is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- East Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Meade
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Lake Meade is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Meade
- Bonneauville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bonneauville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonneauville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,837 people
- Hunterstown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hunterstown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunterstown
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Hunters Run
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hunters Run is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Run
- Mount Holly Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Boiling Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Craighead
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Craighead is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craighead
- Barnitz
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
- Allenview
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Allenview is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenview
- Lisburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
- Huntsdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Huntsdale is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Montsera
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Montsera is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
- Roxbury
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Roxbury is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Mechanicsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Trindle Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Trindle Springs is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trindle Springs
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Highspire
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Royalton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Royalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
- Steelton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Middletown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Paxtang
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Paxtang is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtang
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Harrisburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hillside Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hillside Village is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Village
- Penbrook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Penbrook is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penbrook
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,976 people
- Clifton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Lawnton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
- Edgemont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Progress
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Progress is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Caledonia Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Caledonia Park is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia Park
- Blue Ridge Summit
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Monterey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Monterey is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Mount Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Union is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Beartown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Beartown is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
- Brownsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Brownsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Pen Mar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pen Mar is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Fayetteville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mont Alto
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Rouzerville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Rouzerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rouzerville
- Nunnery
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Nunnery is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunnery
- Quincy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Billmeyer ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Billmeyer is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billmeyer
- Falmouth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Falmouth is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Maytown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Marietta
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Elizabethtown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Washington Borough
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Washington Borough is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Borough
- Aberdeen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Aberdeen is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
- Columbia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rheems
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rheems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rheems
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Pennville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pennville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennville
- Hanover
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- La Bott
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- La Bott is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Bott
- Parkville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Parkville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
- Spring Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Grove is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,179 people
- Valley Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Junction is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Junction
- Jefferson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Davidsburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Davidsburg is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsburg
- Thomasville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bandanna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bandanna is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandanna
- Harmony Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony Grove is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove
- Roler
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Roler is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roler
- Baltimore County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Eklo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Eklo is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
- Oakland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Freeland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Maryland Line
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
- Shamburg ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Shamburg is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamburg
- Trenton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Trenton is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Upperco
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Walker
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Fowblesburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fowblesburg is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowblesburg
- Mount Carmel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Boring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gorsuch Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gorsuch Mills is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorsuch Mills
- Carroll County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Lineboro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Harney
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Manchester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Reeds Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Reeds Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
- Roller
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Roller is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Young Mans Fancy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
- Fairground Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairground Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairground Village
- Taneytown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tyrone
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Tyrone is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
- Frizzellburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Frizzellburg is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frizzellburg
- Frizzellburg has also been known as:
- Frizels
- Crabster ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Crabster is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabster
- Rockbrook Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rockbrook Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook Village
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Emmitsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ladiesburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Ladiesburg is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladiesburg
- Rocky Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- New Midway
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- New Midway is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Midway
- Sabillasville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sams Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Sams Creek is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Creek
- Thurmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Orchard
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Oak Orchard is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Orchard
- Centerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Creagerstown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Creagerstown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creagerstown
- Jimtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Woodsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Harford County (MD)
- Shawsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- Highfield - Cascade
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Highfield - Cascade is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfield - Cascade
- Pen Mar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pen Mar is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Pen Mar has also been known as:
- Pen Mar Park
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cross Keys, see our County-by-County Page for Cross Keys.
Cemeteries Near Cross Keys ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cross Keys.
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 Cross Keys - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Cross Keys covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sacred Heart Basilica Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bucher Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns UCC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mumma Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- York Road Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York Road Cemetery
- The York Road Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bairs Meeting House Cemetery
- East Berlin Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rest Haven Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Joseph Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Hanover.
- The St. Joseph Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
- St. Joseph's Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #819773 <2>
- Paradise Holtzschwamm Lutheran Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Paradise Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Cemetery
- The Paradise Cemetery has also been known as:
- Paradise Union Church Cemetery
- Continue List (324 more) ...
- Christ United Church of Christ Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Porters Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Great Conewago Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
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 Cross Keys in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Cross Keys.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
- New Oxford
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Berlin Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Berlin Junction is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin Junction
- Irishtown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Irishtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irishtown
- Abbottstown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Edgegrove
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- Brush Run
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brush Run is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Run
- Centennial
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centennial is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial
- McSherrystown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hampton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hampton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Newchester
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newchester is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newchester
- McSherry
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- McSherry is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McSherry
- Hanover
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Jacobs Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jacobs Mills is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs Mills
- East Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Guldens
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Guldens is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guldens
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cross Keys. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cross Keys.
Newspapers Published in Cross Keys ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cross Keys.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cross Keys, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cross Keys.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Cross Keys:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Adams County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cumberland County
- Dauphin County
- Franklin County
- Lancaster County
- York County
- Baltimore County
- Carroll County
- Frederick County
- Harford County
- Washington 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 Cross Keys, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Cross Keys) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |