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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 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 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.

Cross Keys is located in Blair 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 Blair County: Bedford, Cambria, Centre & Huntingdon.

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:

  • Blair 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.
    • Canan
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Canan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canan
      • Canan is located in Blair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Canan
      • From Cross Keys to Canan
    • Duncansville
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duncansville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncansville
      • Duncansville is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncansville <3>
    • Hollidaysburg
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Newry
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Frankstown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Altoona
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Brooks Mill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Puzzletown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Roaring Spring
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring Spring
      • Roaring Spring is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roaring Spring <3>
    • Flowing Spring
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Royer
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Royer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royer
      • Royer is located in Blair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Royer
      • From Cross Keys to Royer
    • Blue Knob
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
    • King
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for King. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
      • King is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to King
      • From Cross Keys to King
    • Maria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maria. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maria
      • Maria is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Maria
      • From Cross Keys to Maria
    • Pavia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pavia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavia
      • Pavia is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pavia
      • From Cross Keys to Pavia
    • Waterside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • New Enterprise
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Osterburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Loysburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Salemville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Woodbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbury have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
      • Woodbury is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 265 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodbury <3>
    • Marble City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble City
      • Marble City is located in Bedford County
    • Riddlesburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pleasantville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasantville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
      • Pleasantville is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
  • Cambria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
    • Tunnelhill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnelhill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnelhill
      • Tunnelhill is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
    • Buckhorn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Gallitzin
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gallitzin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallitzin
      • Gallitzin is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,514 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gallitzin <3>
    • Summit
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Summit. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in Cambria County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Summit
      • From Cross Keys to Summit
    • Amsbry
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Cresson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Sankertown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sankertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sankertown
      • Sankertown is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 606 people
    • Ashville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Spindley City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spindley City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spindley City
      • Spindley City is located in Cambria County
    • Bens Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bens Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bens Creek
      • Bens Creek is located in Cambria County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bens Creek
      • From Cross Keys to Bens Creek
    • Scarlan Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scarlan Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarlan Hill
      • Scarlan Hill is located in Cambria County
    • Dysart
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Centre County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
    • Sandy Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
      • Sandy Ridge is located in Centre County
    • Marengo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marengo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marengo
      • Marengo is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marengo
      • From Cross Keys to Marengo
    • New Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
      • New Town is located in Centre County
    • Musser
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Musser. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musser
      • Musser is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Musser
      • From Cross Keys to Musser
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
    • Lyleville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Utahville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Blain City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blain City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blain City
      • Blain City is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blain City
      • From Cross Keys to Blain City
    • Coalport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Rosebud
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rosebud. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosebud
      • Rosebud is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rosebud
      • From Cross Keys to Rosebud
    • Ginter
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ginter. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ginter
      • Ginter is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ginter
      • From Cross Keys to Ginter
    • Hegarty Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Irvona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Glen Hope
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Ramey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • McPherron
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McPherron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McPherron
      • McPherron is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McPherron
      • From Cross Keys to McPherron
    • Westover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Westover is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
  • Fulton County
  • Huntingdon County
  • Indiana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
    • Alverda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rexis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Grisemore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grisemore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grisemore
      • Grisemore is located in Indiana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grisemore
      • From Cross Keys to Grisemore
    • Heilwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heilwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilwood
      • Heilwood is located in Indiana County
    • Uniontown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in Indiana County
    • Wehrum
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cherry Tree
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Tree
      • Cherry Tree is located in Indiana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Pine Flats
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pine Flats. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Flats
      • Pine Flats is located in Indiana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pine Flats
      • From Cross Keys to Pine Flats
    • Dilltown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Nolo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Cookport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Kenwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mifflin County
    • Kistler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kistler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
      • Kistler is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cross Keys, with the one closest to Cross Keys listed first.
    • Ogletown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Windber
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Paint
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paint have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint
      • Paint is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
    • Tire Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Benson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Benson is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Central City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,021 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central City <3>
    • Davidsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsville
      • Davidsville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davidsville <3>
    • Hollsopple
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Westmoreland County

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.

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.<5>

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.

  • Duncansville
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duncansville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncansville
    • Duncansville is located in Blair County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,148 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncansville <3>
  • Stiffler
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stiffler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiffler
    • Stiffler is located in Blair County
  • Eldorado
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldorado have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
    • Eldorado is located in Blair County
  • Canan
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Canan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canan
    • Canan is located in Blair County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Canan
    • From Cross Keys to Canan
  • Hollidaysburg
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Newry
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Allegheny Furnace
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allegheny Furnace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allegheny Furnace
    • Allegheny Furnace is located in Blair County
  • Loop
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loop
    • Loop is located in Blair County
  • Frankstown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Brooks Mill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Altoona
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • East Freedom
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Freedom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Freedom
    • East Freedom is located in Blair County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Freedom <3>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • McKee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McKee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKee
      • McKee is located in Blair County
    • Reese
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reese have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
      • Reese is located in Blair County
    • Juniata
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Juniata have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata
      • Juniata is located in Blair County

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 61 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]<6>. 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 first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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:

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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.
<6>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- Cross Keys) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cross Keys. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4481, Longitude: -78.4324