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 Derrs (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 Derrs. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Derrs is located in Columbia 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 Columbia County: Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill & Sullivan.
Below are the counties that are near Derrs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Derrs:
- Columbia County (The home county of Derrs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Jackson
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jackson is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Coles Mill
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Coles Mill is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Mill
- Waller
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Waller is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waller
- Greenwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Greenwood is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Benton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Rohrsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rohrsburg is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rohrsburg
- Stillwater
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Iola
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Iola is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iola
- Millville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Welliversville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Welliversville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welliversville
- Zaner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Zaner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zaner
- Eyers Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Eyers Grove is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eyers Grove
- Bradford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Laddsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Laddsburg is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laddsburg
- Overton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Overton is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overton
- New Albany
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Evergreen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Evergreen is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Wilmot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Wilmot is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- New Era
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- New Era is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Era
- Luzerne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Fairmount Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fairmount Springs is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount Springs
- Clarks View
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Clarks View is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks View
- New Columbus
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
- Register
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Register is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Register
- Red Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Red Rock is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
- Harveyville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Harveyville is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveyville
- Huntington Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Mossville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mossville is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossville
- Pleasant Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Rittenhouse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Rittenhouse is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rittenhouse
- Waterton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Waterton is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterton
- Bloomingdale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bloomingdale is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
- Lycoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Richarts Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Richarts Grove is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richarts Grove
- Unityville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Biggerstown
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Biggerstown is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggerstown
- Lungerville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lungerville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lungerville
- Lairdsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lairdsville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lairdsville
- Beaver Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Beaver Lake is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Lake
- Muncy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Muncy
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Muncy is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
- Montgomery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Proctor
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Proctor is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Montoursville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Maple Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Maple Hill is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
- Montour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Exchange
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Exchange is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exchange
- Washingtonville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Washingtonville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Mechanicsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mechanicsville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Danville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mooresburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mooresburg is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Turbotville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Riverside
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Chulasky
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Chulasky is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulasky
- McEwensville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rushtown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rushtown is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushtown
- Potts Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Elysburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Milton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Milton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
- Dewart
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Watsontown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Marion Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Marion Heights is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
- Reed
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Reed is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Nuremberg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ferndale
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ferndale is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferndale
- Zion Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ringtown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oneida
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Oneida is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
- Sheppton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Brandonville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brandonville is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
- Krebs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Krebs is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krebs
- Raven Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Raven Run is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven Run
- Ashland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Girardville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lost Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lost Creek is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Creek
- Snyder County
- Shamokin Dam
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Beech Glen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Beech Glen is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
- Long Brook
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Long Brook is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Brook
- Sonestown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Laporte
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Eagles Mere
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bernice
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bernice is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernice
- Ogdonia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ogdonia is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogdonia
- Shinerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Shinerville is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shinerville
- Hillsgrove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Forksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Dushore
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Millview
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Millview is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millview
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- New Columbia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Allenwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- West Milton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- West Milton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milton
- Alvira ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Alvira is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvira
- Former name for Alvira:
- Wisetown
- Lewisburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Linntown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Linntown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linntown
- Mazeppa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mazeppa is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Noxen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Beaumont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Beaumont is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Mill City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mill City is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill City
- Evans Falls
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Evans Falls is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Falls
- Forkston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Forkston is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkston
- Stowell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stowell is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stowell
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Derrs, see our County-by-County Page for Derrs.
Cemeteries Near Derrs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Derrs.
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 Derrs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Derrs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Jackson Twp. Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Pine Center UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Lemon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lemon Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Lemon Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northeast of Greenwood.
- The Lemon Cemetery has also been known as:
- Greenwood Christian Church Cemetery
- Greenwood Union Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1977796 <2>
- Rohrsburg Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Salem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gordner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ikelers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- McHenry Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Raven Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- St. Gabriel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Gabriel Cemetery
- The St. Gabriel Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Garbiel's Episcopal Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #369311 <2>
- Laurel Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (193 more) ...
- Belles Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Boston Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Derrs had a population of 42 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Derrs, with the one closest to Derrs listed first.
- Sereno
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sereno is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sereno
- Greenwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Greenwood is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Waller
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Waller is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waller
- Benton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Unityville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Iola
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Iola is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iola
- Millville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Stillwater
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Summit
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pine Summit is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Summit
- Welliversville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Welliversville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welliversville
- Zaner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Zaner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zaner
- Coles Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coles Creek is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Creek
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Laubach
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Laubach is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laubach
- Eyers Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Eyers Grove is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eyers Grove
- Orangeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Derrs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Derrs.
Newspapers Published in Derrs ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Derrs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Derrs, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Derrs.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Derrs:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Columbia County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bradford County
- Luzerne County
- Lycoming County
- Montour County
- Northumberland County
- Schuylkill County
- Snyder County
- Sullivan County
- Union County
- Wyoming 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Derrs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Derrs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |