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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 Dents Run (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 Dents Run. 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.

Name Variations for Dents Run ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

While the name of this community is Dents Run, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Dents Run may originally have been Dent's Run.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Dents Run might be written as Dent Run.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Dents Run is located in Elk 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 Elk County: Cameron, Clearfield, Forest, Jefferson, McKean & Warren.

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

  • Elk County     (The home county of Dents Run)
  • Cameron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dents Run, with the one closest to Dents Run listed first.
    • Huntley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Driftwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Cameron
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Wyside
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyside
      • Wyside is located in Cameron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wyside
      • From Dents Run to Wyside
    • Emporium
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emporium have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporium
      • Emporium is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,770 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emporium <3>
    • Weber City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weber City have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
      • Weber City is located in Cameron County
    • Beechwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beechwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
      • Beechwood is located in Cameron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beechwood
      • From Dents Run to Beechwood
  • Centre County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dents Run, with the one closest to Dents Run listed first.
    • Pine Glen
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Glen have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Glen
      • Pine Glen is located in Centre County
    • Moshannon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarence have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
      • Clarence is located in Centre County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarence <3>
    • Pancake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pancake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancake
      • Pancake is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pancake
      • From Dents Run to Pancake
    • Poorman Side
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Snow Shoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snow Shoe have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Shoe
      • Snow Shoe is located in Centre County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 758 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snow Shoe <3>
    • Casanova
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dents Run, with the one closest to Dents Run listed first.
    • Tyler
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Tyler is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tyler
      • From Dents Run to Tyler
    • Pottersdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Winterburn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Joy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Joy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Joy
      • Mount Joy is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Joy
      • From Dents Run to Mount Joy
    • Shiloh
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shiloh. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Shiloh is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shiloh
      • From Dents Run to Shiloh
    • Plymptonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plymptonville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymptonville
      • Plymptonville is located in Clearfield County
    • Barrett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barrett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrett
      • Barrett is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Barrett
      • From Dents Run to Barrett
    • Clearfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Kylertown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Woodland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Hyde
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hyde have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde
      • Hyde is located in Clearfield County
    • Treasure Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Treasure Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Treasure Lake
      • Treasure Lake is located in Clearfield County
  • Clinton County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dents Run, with the one closest to Dents Run listed first.
    • Crenshaw
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crenshaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
      • Crenshaw is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crenshaw
      • From Dents Run to Crenshaw
    • Brockway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brockway have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockway
      • Brockway is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,020 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brockway <3>
  • McKean County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dents Run, with the one closest to Dents Run listed first.
    • Gardeau
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Clermont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clermont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
      • Clermont is located in McKean County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clermont
      • From Dents Run to Clermont
    • Crosby
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Hutchins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hutchins. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
      • Hutchins is located in McKean County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hutchins
      • From Dents Run to Hutchins
    • Freeman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Freeman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
      • Freeman is located in McKean County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Freeman
      • From Dents Run to Freeman
  • Potter County

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

Cemeteries Near Dents Run ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dents Run.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Hicks Run Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Run Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Run Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mix Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mix Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mix Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mason Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mason Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mason Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine St. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine St. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine St. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wyle Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grove Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grove Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grove Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gray Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gray Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gray Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miller Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Newton Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (85 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Dents Run had a population of 110 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Grant
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
    • Grant is located in Elk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Grant
    • From Dents Run to Grant
  • Mix Run
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mix Run have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mix Run
    • Mix Run is located in Cameron County
  • Huntley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Sterling Run
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling Run have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling Run
    • Sterling Run is located in Cameron County
  • Benezette
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Driftwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Cameron
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Truman
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Truman have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truman
    • Truman is located in Cameron County
  • Wyside
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wyside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyside
    • Wyside is located in Cameron County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wyside
    • From Dents Run to Wyside
  • Emporium
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emporium have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporium
    • Emporium is located in Cameron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,770 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emporium <3>
  • Beechwood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beechwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
    • Beechwood is located in Cameron County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Beechwood
    • From Dents Run to Beechwood
  • Caledonia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caledonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
    • Caledonia is located in Elk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Caledonia
    • From Dents Run to Caledonia
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Weedville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Rathbun
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rathbun have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbun
      • Rathbun is located in Elk County
    • First Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for First Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Fork
      • First Fork is located in Cameron County

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

Newspapers Published in Dents Run ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dents Run.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dents Run, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dents Run.

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 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 Dents Run:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dents Run. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Elk County: www.co.elk.pa.us/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>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.
<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 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.
<5>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- Dents Run) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dents Run. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3577, Longitude: -78.2666       In this case, the coordinates for Dents Run have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.
<7>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 Dents Run, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025